


Sirius Black and the Land-In-Between

by Titti



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Challenge Response, M/M, NaNoWriMo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-01
Updated: 2004-12-01
Packaged: 2019-01-16 05:54:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 51,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12336789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titti/pseuds/Titti
Summary: The veil is only a temporary stop for Sirius Black, but regaining his humanity won't be easy.





	Sirius Black and the Land-In-Between

Walking inside the veil, or more accurately, falling inside it, was a strange experience. The place was filled with people of every race and nationality, people that had died in different epochs from the early ages of civilization to just a few moments ago. They spoke different languages and yet they could all understand each other, although the interaction was minimal. 

There was a strange fog all around them. It was almost as if they were walking among the clouds. There were no buildings, no stores. No one seemed to need food or rest. However, there were bubbles in the fog, where slices of the world they had left behind would appear, and some soul would be stuck in there until he moved on. 

Sirius walked around in a daze. He could barely remember life before he arrived to this strange place, and yet he knew he belonged somewhere else, even if he wouldn't have been able to say where. 

He wasn't sure how long he had been there, but time was another of those ephemeral concepts to which no one paid attention in this strange land. Indeed there was no such thing as time in a land where everyone passed his time trying to undo his past sins. 

Purgatory, that's what Sirius began to call this place after witnessing people disappear into a light after completing whatever task they had been given. At least, Sirius hoped that it was Purgatory, because otherwise he had no clue where he was. 

Of course, the fact that he was in Purgatory didn't help him since he couldn't remember what came after Purgatory and from where he had arrived, but he didn't despair. He didn't think that he could have even if he wanted. The fog around him acted almost like a damper on all negative emotions, or maybe the positive ones as well, because Sirius didn't feel much of anything beyond the need to walk as if searching for his rightful place. 

After a certain time, and Sirius wouldn't have been able to say how long even if pressed, he saw three thrones sitting in the middle of nowhere. Something, and it could have been only curiosity, drove him to them, but something inside him told him that there was more, because as much as he tried he couldn't take his eyes off the three chairs. 

The thrones looked like they were made of gold, and they reminded Sirius of Dumbledore's chair in the Great Hall (was that a dream or part of his former reality?), only more magnificent. Jewels of different colours covered the edge of the backrests. The seats and backrests were cushioned and covered with what looked like expensive silk. Each chair had a main colour: red, yellow and blue. Gems and silk, in different tonality of the same colour adorned each chair. 

Three beings were sitting on the thrones. Sirius couldn't tell if they were men or women, or indeed if they were human at all. They seemed taller than a human being ought to be, but not as tall as a giant (Sirius wasn't sure where he had ever seen a giant or if he had in fact ever seen one). They were slim, yet emanated an indescribable strength and power. They wore long, hooded robes, each robe matching the colour of the chair on which the Beings were sitting. Even the fog that reigned in this place couldn't dim the shimmering of the fabric. The hoods covered their faces, but Sirius _knew_ that they were not evil, although he doubted that they could be called 'good' either. 

Sirius felt the need to go on his knees, and didn't fight his gut instinct. He dropped on one knee and bowed in sign of respect. When he did, the Beings began to speak, their voices joining in perfect unison, yet he could feel who was talking. 

"Sirius Black, you have joined us before it was time," the Being in yellow said. 

"You have put us in a most awkward position," the Being in red added. 

"It is hardly his fault," the Being in blue said, and Sirius could hear the humour in the tone even if there was no change in the voice. "You can't blame him for almost being killed." 

"Regardless of whose fault it is, we must face the situation," the Being in yellow said with a certain finality. "Sirius Black, in the Land-In-Between, the dead have a chance to correct minor sins before they move on." 

"You're not dead, however," the Being in red said with annoyance, but Sirius didn't care at the moment. The need for information overriding his common sense. His head snapped up and he looked at the three. "Am I not dead? I thought..." 

"Silence!" The voice of the Being in red echoed in his mind, and Sirius's mouth closed without Sirius's consent. 

"Yes, you are the exception to the rule, Sirius Black." Again the Being in blue seemed amused by the situation. "You forced us to be creative in devising a solution to your unique case. You will return to your world, and you will have the chance to redress your past. If you do, you will be able to rejoin the living." 

_His world, the living, his faults?_ What was He talking about? Sirius wasn't sure. Part of him recognized the words, but their meaning was too hazy to make sense. "What am I supposed to do? How will I accomplish that?" 

The Being in red laughed, but it wasn't a kind laugh. "You expect us to give you directions, Sirius Black. Part of your responsibility is to understand what mistakes you made." 

"We will tell you this," the Being in Yellow said. "Only a person that loves you can help you in this journey. Now, go toward your new destiny." The three Beings raised their right hands. "Remember, you may not share your knowledge of the Land-In Between." 

"If you can remember," the Being in Red said mockingly. 

Before Sirius could ask what that meant, he felt his mind go blank, and his body was pulled somewhere else. 

It was as easy as blinking. From the darkness, Sirius opened his eyes and found himself in a house. He didn't recognise the house, but it was a wizarding home. If the moving portraits weren't enough, the house-elf that dropped the plate, and ran through Sirius, screaming for his mistress was the final clue. Now, he had to discover what in Merlin's name was going on.

* * *

Narcissa Black Malfoy was having supper with her son when one of her house-elves came barging into the dining room, and disrupted their meal. "Would you stop babbling, you idiot house-elf? I have no idea what you're saying and I don't have the patience to decipher it. Go bang your head somewhere other than this room and come back when we're done." 

"But...Mistress Narcissa needs to know. Bad man comes into the house. Wards no ring. Please, Mistress, you see." 

Draco looked at the house-elf with disgust. Time and age had not tamed his distaste for inferior beings, meaning anyone other than purebloods. "Mother, I know they are useless, but house-elves aren't so stupid to interrupt us without a reason. Father made sure to teach them the consequences. Maybe, we ought to find out to what or whom he is referring." 

Narcissa had stopped looking at Draco during his speech. Instead she was looking at the wall and at the ghost that had just come through it. "There is no need, Draco. I believe I know who the bad man is." 

With calculated slowness, she dabbed her napkin over her lips, before resting it on the table. Narcissa pushed her plate away from her, and looked up. "Dear cousin, couldn't you have found some other house to haunt?" 

Draco frowned as he witnessed his mother's strange behaviour, but when he turned around, everything became clear. "Oh joy, we have our own private ghost, and the black sheep of the family as well." He turned to his mother again. "There must be a way to get rid of him. I'm sure we could ask Severus," he said with a smirk. "I'm certain that he would _love_ to help us with this problem." 

"What have you done to me? Why am I here?" Sirius asked angrily. Since arriving to this house, without remembering how, Sirius had made a few unnerving discoveries, the worse had been smashing into a wall and learning that instead of feeling pain, he could walk through solid objects. 

"My dear cousin we did nothing, and we shall be truly pleased when you decide to leave." Narcissa stared at her dead cousin for a moment. Ghosts didn't bother her. She had long ago learned to ignore the living, compared to that, ignoring the ghosts was a piece of cake, but Sirius was different. He reminded her of Lucius's incarceration. "Do call Severus. I cannot stand to live with him here." 

"Yes, Mother." Draco got up and walked toward the fireplace. Sirius ran toward him, fists in the air. Draco watched annoyed as the angry ghost tried to punch him. The fist passed through Draco's body and momentum carried Sirius as well. 

Draco turned around, his hands crossed in front of him, looking quite piqued. "What kind of a demented imbecile are you? You've been a ghost for two years and you still don't know that you can't punch a living person." 

Sirius walked closer and tried to look menacing, but didn't try to punch Draco again. "I am not a ghost because I'm not dead, _imbecile_. Your father must have done this. Where is he? Let me talk to that coward." 

Draco straightened up, and took a step forward. He growled at Sirius, ignoring the fact that he could not really harm the ghost and any threat would be merely for show. "My father was arrested on the day of your death. Two years ago." 

"Two years, three months and eleven days to be precise." The two men turned when they heard Narcissa's voice. Neither was oblivious to the sadness in her voice. "Draco is telling you the truth. We have nothing to do with this. You ought to know since you've been a ghost all this time." 

Sirius shook his head as he walked toward his cousin. "But I haven't, Narcissa. I remember going to the Ministry to help Harry. I remember fighting with Bella and then I woke up here, and I'm a ghost. If you didn't do this, who did?" 

" _Not us_ ," Draco said. "Mother, do you want me to call Severus?" 

"In a moment, Draco. We might as well tell Sirius what has happened. Maybe he's still around because he needs to find out what happened." She looked at a chair, but then she looked up and smiled. "I would invite you to sit down, but we know that you can't." 

"And we don't want you to get more comfortable than necessary," Draco murmured under his breath. 

Sirius rolled his eyes, but edged toward the chair. He touched the armrest with hesitation, and could feel the wood beneath his fingers. However, he didn't attempt to sit down. "So what has happened?" 

"Bella did kill you, Sirius. I'm sorry, but too many people saw that. Lucius, and some of his...colleagues-" 

"Death Eaters," Sirius put in. 

"Colleagues," Narcissa continued, "were arrested. They have been in Azkaban since that day. Of course, it didn't stop the Dark Lord. He continued to...force good wizards and witches to do his bidding." 

Sirius snorted. "You should have been the politician in the family. We both know that he wasn't forcing anyone. Your husband and the others are nothing but a bunch of prejudiced, amoral killers." 

Narcissa gave him an overly sweet smile. "As I was saying, they were forced to do his bidding, until just a few months ago-" 

"Three months and four days, but who's counting?" Draco said sarcastically. He walked to the table and sat in his chair, having a perfect view of his cousin. 

"He's dead? Forever?" Sirius asked, looking at mother and son. 

Narcissa nodded. "Yes, it looks like that. Harry Potter managed to destroy him. We don't know the details. Dumbledore is keeping everything all hush hush, and Fudge is too scared of him and Potter to go against his wishes. They have also captured all the Death Eaters with the exception of Bella. She might be crazy, but she has managed to evade them all." 

Without thinking, Sirius slumped on the chair. "Harry survived...God-" 

"He's not a ghost!" 

Sirius's head snapped toward Draco. "I told you that," he said arrogantly. "And how did you figure it out?" he added more cautiously since he had no idea what he was and how he had been brought here. 

"You're sitting on that chair. Ghosts can't connect with solid objects, don't you know that?" Draco said, his eyes still wide as he looked at Sirius. 

"Draco, surely, you are mistaken. I've seen the Baron sitting in the couch of the common room," Narcissa said. 

Draco shook his head. "No, Mother, he pretends to sit on the couch, but he can't. He can hover over it. He can make it look like he is sitting, but he's not. Black wasn't pretending. He simply...sat down," Draco ended, still stupefied at the discovery. 

"Since you're so brilliant, what am I?" Sirius said, the challenge clear in his voice. 

Draco stared at Sirius with a raised eyebrow. "You have no idea about what happened to you, do you? We should have known that you'd be telling the truth, however inane it sounded, because Gryffindors never have a clue about anything." 

"Why did he appear in our house?" Narcissa asked her son. 

"I'm sorry, Mother, but what makes you think that I would know. It's not every day that your dead relative comes back as a ghost, except he's not a ghost." 

"I wasn't dead. I told you that," Sirius said in a low, yet forceful voice. "I remember Bella hitting me with a spell and then it's a blank." 

"You went through the veil," Narcissa informed him. "You died, Sirius." 

"How do we know, Mother? There is a reason that the veil is in the Department of Mysteries, and that's because no one knows how it works." Draco walked toward Sirius and stood in front of him. "Of course, you're still an idiotic Gryffindor, a blood traitor who deserves nothing more than death, although eternal damnation sounds even bet-" 

Before Draco could finish, Sirius jumped off the chair and tackled the blond, only to find himself falling through the solid body and stumble until he regained his balance. He watched with fury in his eyes as Draco approached him again. 

"Calm down. Focus on something you like...focus on Potter. He survived everything. He's the bloody idol of our world now. I bet you're proud of him." 

Sirius looked confused. "Of course I am, but I've done little to help him." 

"Be that as it may, he's still alive." Draco extended one hand. "Try shaking my hand." 

Still suspicious, Sirius did as he was told, mostly to prove how insane the younger Malfoy was, but when his hand connected with Draco, he looked awed. "How?" 

Draco laughed. "I'd love to impress you with my knowledge, but I have no concrete answer. I made an educated guess. When you were thinking of Potter, you were able to connect with the chair, but when you tried to hit me, you couldn't. Why or how, I don't know, but it looks like you can't act in anger or maybe you can't hurt people. I'm not sure which." 

"So I'm back to square one," Sirius said with a sigh. 

"Well, not really. We know that you're not a ghost. We know that you can, in some ways, affect matter. We know that the veil caused this. We need to work from there to find out why you're here, and what you are," Draco concluded. 

"Isn't that brilliant! You have it all worked out already," Sirius said, sarcasm dripping from his voice like honey from a knife blade. 

"You can't afford to be arrogant, Sirius." Narcissa got up, and put a hand on her son's shoulder. "He has Lucius's good looks, the Blacks' intelligence, and Mother's curiosity. Draco can help you if you'd like." 

"Yes? And why do you care?" Sirius asked. "You were ready to call Snape, for Merlin's beard." 

"Because I've lost my family, Sirius. I haven't spoken to Andromeda since she got married. Bella was lost when she went to Azkaban. Regulus is dead. We...we haven't exchanged anything more than insults since we were sorted. Our parents are dead. Lucius has been in Azkaban for twenty-seven long months." Narcissa smiled at Draco when she felt his hand squeezing hers. "I didn't want a ghost to remind me of all that I lost, but you're not a ghost, and if we can help, then we will." 

Even as kids, Narcissa could lie like a pro, except for her fingers tapping nervously against her thigh. Sirius looked at her hands. She wasn't tapping them now, but of course, they hadn't seen each other for decades, and she could have learned to control it. 

Sirius was ready to tell her 'no', when he noticed how Draco held her hand, and how she smiled sweetly at him. It was a brief exchange between a mother and a son, an exchange that had never happened with his own mother, something that showed a relationship of love and respect. 

However, he wasn't quite ready to accept the help of a Malfoy. "Why would he help me? He barely knows me." 

Narcissa smiled brightly. "Because Draco can't resist a mystery. Sometimes, he follows the clues without thinking of what could happen," she said in a chastising tone. 

"Following Potter around proved useful in the end," Draco answered. 

"It almost got you killed," Narcissa said exasperated, and Sirius had the impression that this was not a new disagreement. 

"If I hadn't followed him, I would have never known about him running off to the Riddle mansion, and if I hadn't warned Dumbledore, Potter would be dead, and the Dark Lord would be in power." Draco sighed. "Mother, I've told you a million times. I was never in any danger. I turned back before any of the Death Eaters could have noticed me following Potter." 

Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing. First, they offered to help him. Now, they were talking about helping Harry against Voldemort. This had to be a trap, or some strange dream, or a curse or... 

"Whatever idiocy you're currently thinking, just say it before your brain explodes." 

Sirius blinked when he realised that Draco was talking to him. "You helped Harry?" 

"No, I did not," Draco said, stressing each word. "However, I'm not an imbecile, and I knew what would have happened if the Dark Lord would gain power. It took me a while, but I learned. Even Father's freedom and Potter's death weren't worth the Dark Lord's victory. Unlike what Mother said, I will help you because it seems the fastest way to regain control of our house." 

Sirius looked around. If he was going to be stuck in this house, he might as well... "How do we know that I can't leave the house? I'm not a ghost, therefore the rules don't apply." 

Draco grinned. "It took you a while to come up with that." Then he grew serious. "We don't know what would happen if you leave. We also don't know what are the consequences, if you contact other people. There must be a reason why you appeared here. It certainly isn't because you wanted to be with us, therefore something else is directing you." 

An image of three ethereal Beings popped into Sirius's mind, but before he could see more, it was gone. Who were they? Were they real or some long lost dream? Sirius didn't know, but for now, he decided that it was better not to mention it. He also decided that Draco was right. There were too many incognita. "All right, I accept your help." 

With a firm handshake, they sealed their new-formed alliance. 

* * *

Over the course of the next few weeks, Draco and Sirius began to test Sirius's abilities. They soon discovered that Sirius was not bound to the house like a ghost would be. With focus and training, Sirius learned to control how visible he was. He could fade to almost nothing, a pale light that people, wizards included, could dismiss as a trick of the imagination. He also could appear almost solid. This 'solidity' combined with the fact that he could touch corporeal objects allowed him to pass for human. Something that they tested in Muggle cities, where no one would recognise Sirius Black, wanted man extraordinaire. 

There were drawbacks as well. Sirius became so used to being 'solid' that at times he forgot to concentrate. It had been a close call when at a café, they started to discuss politics and in anger, Sirius punched the table, only to feel his hand and arm slide through it. Fortunately, no one was paying attention, and they didn't have to Obliviate anyone. 

They also learned that Sirius didn't need to eat or sleep, which became annoying after a while since he would bother Draco night and day. One night, Draco locked his door, hoping that Sirius would understand, but in typical Sirius's fashion, he walked through the locked door, sat on the bed, and began asking senseless questions about the people he knew and loved. 

Of course, when they had sorted the practical stuff, they began to look into the veil, and a possible explanation for Sirius's sudden appearance after missing for two years. Draco first went through their library, but he found nothing more than en passant references to the veil. 

When that attempt didn't prove successful, Draco spoke to Severus. He didn't say that he wanted information about the veil, but asked for permission to use the Restricted Section. After a few days, Severus informed him that Dumbledore had agreed that Draco could conduct his research in the school library, but he would not be allowed to take the books out. Even though school had started again, Severus assured Draco that the dunderheads would never be caught in a library at the start of the term. 

One morning, in late September, Draco Apparated to Hogwarts, and walked inside. For a moment, he felt like he had never left. The few months since his matriculation weren't enough to dispel the familiarity of being at Hogwarts. 

Draco made his way to the library. He said 'hello' to some of the Slytherins who passed his way, and glared at the Gryffindors. It almost felt good to regress to old habits, instead of dealing with the real word. 

When he reached the library, Madam Pince nodded. "Mr. Malfoy, you're back so soon." 

Draco smiled. "I couldn't stay away from your library." 

"So I've been told. Severus said that you're interested in our Restricted Section." She nodded toward the secluded area, devoid of students. "I trust you remember the warnings." 

Draco chuckled. He had been given the same warnings for years. Once, Madam Pince had threatened to deny him entrance to the library if books kept disappearing. Of course, the books always reappeared when he was done, and in the end, she did nothing. "Yes, I will not remove any book without your permission. I will carefully read the directions for any dangerous book, and I will not touch any book unnecessarily. Is that satisfactory, Madam?" 

"That's fine, Mr. Malfoy." Before Draco moved into the Restricted Section, she spoke up again. "Oh, and Mr. Malfoy-" She gave a sigh, but then she benevolently. "It's very good to have you back." 

"Thank you, it's good to be here." With a final smile, Draco disappeared between the rows of books. Slowly, he looked for the books he needed. He didn't bother going to a table. Instead, he piled the books on the floor, and sat there, his back resting against the bookcase. 

Time passed, but Draco seemed unaware of the world around him, so absorbed he was in the books he was reading. He never heard the students entering the library, but staying in the main section. He never noticed the sun descend in the autumn sky, and the lights magically illuminating the room. He didn't notice the fact that he hadn't eaten all day. The only thing he noticed was the fact that the stack of read books had grown taller, with only one book left in the unread pile, and he still was no closer to finding an answer. 

Draco ran his fingers through his hair as he closed the book. He closed his eyes as his head lolled back, dislodging some of the books, but even madam Pince's warnings weren't enough to cause Draco to worry. He needed to find something, anything that could give them a starting point, a small stone on which to build their foundation. 

"You look like you're about to die." 

Draco's eyes snapped open, and he jumped up, walking to the end of the bookcases to make sure that there was no one nearby. "God, are you really this stupid? I told you that it could be dangerous if people saw you. The Ministry is after you, and even if they can't catch you, we still don't know how it would affect you. You must leave. Now!" 

Sirius looked at him with a pensive expression on his face. "How do you manage to yell and whisper at the same time? I'm curious, really. Snape was able to do the same thing. His voice low enough that you could barely hear the bastard, but there was no doubt that he was screaming at you. Is this some Slytherin thing? Although I don't remember my brother doing it." 

Draco shook his head. "Are you listening to me? I shall make this simple. You must go. Is that easier to comprehend?" 

"Oh no, I understood you the first time, but I don't agree with you. What's the harm in standing here, and watching you..." Sirius tilted his head. "What exactly were you doing? Because it looked like you were falling asleep, and I know for a fact that you have a much more comfortable resting place, a thing called bed, in your home." 

"Ah, ah, you're truly funny, Sirius." Draco pointed at the books on the floor. "See those?" 

"I'm not blind," Sirius answered immediately. 

Draco rolled his eyes. He needed to learn that rhetorical questions never went unanswered with Sirius. "I've read all of them minus one, and do you know what I found?" He raised a hand to prevent Sirius from answering. "Nothing, not a single clue that could help us understand this better." He rubbed his face with his hands. "This is hopeless." 

"You said it yourself. The Ministry has had the veil for a long time, and no one has discovered its properties. You can't expect to do it in a day." Sirius's hand, cautiously (they were still discovering what was allowed behaviour when dealing with each other) rested on Draco's shoulder before squeezing it. "We can look at the last one, to be sure, and then we can go have dinner some where. We could go to that little Italian restaurant we found in London, where you had that dish of linguine that you liked so much." 

Draco stared at Sirius for a moment. "I'm sorry, but for a moment you sounded reasonable, almost mature. Are you certain that you're not another spectre with Sirius's appearance?" 

"Who's trying to be funny, now? And failing miserably, I might add," Sirius answered. 

"I wasn't being funny, but merely making a statement of facts. You, my insane cousin, act like you're sixteen half the time, and the other half like you're ten." Draco sat back on the floor, legs straight in front of him, and ankles crossed. He opened the book, and rested it on his thighs. "All right, let's check out the last book, and be quiet before Madam Pince convinces herself that I've gone insane." 

"She wouldn't be wrong, now, would she?" Sirius sat next to Draco, his knees bent and feet on the floor. "You know there is a spell that lets you open every page where the word appears." 

Draco glared at him. "No, don't you say," he drawled out. "Here I was reading every word of every book. Truly, your help is invaluable." He took his wand and pointed at the book. "Scrutari veil!" The pages began to flip by themselves until the book stood open on Draco's lap. "Oh look, the chapter on the veil. How have I survived without you until now is a mystery." 

Sirius snorted. "It must be the bullshit you throw out that keeps you afloat." 

Draco hit his chest with a hand. "I'm shocked. Such language from a fine gentleman like yourself. Shocked, I tell you." He picked up the book, and rested it on Sirius's bent legs. "You read it, because my eyes can't focus anymore." 

"First he insults me," Sirius murmured under his breath, but then he began to read. 

"The veil was recovered by Muggles in the coast of Scotland in 1735. The black veil was found, hidden in a cave, by a group of local children who had been playing around the cliffs. The children recovered the package, which was folded and covered by a thick and coarse fabric. The vicinity to the sea and the salt in the air had partly eroded its covering. Based on their experience living in such rough country, the Muggles estimated that it had been there for at least a few centuries." 

Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh great, we're now basing our information on Muggle experience. These people can't even understand magic." 

Sirius elbowed him. "Shut up. Muggles aren't stupid, but their prospective is different from ours. Besides, it's all the information we have." 

Draco sighed. "Unfortunately." He made a sign to continue, and Sirius resumed reading. 

"The Muggles never learned the importance of their discovery-" 

"Big surprise!" Draco interjected. 

Sirius glared at him, but continued reading. "To them, it looked like nothing more than a worn piece of fabric. Luckily for them, a witch, Felicia Waterspout, with great Divination powers, lived in the small town. 

"Madam Waterspout heard the voices coming from behind the veil while the veil was still covered. Before any damage could be done, she took the precious finding, and Obliviated the Muggles. She later testified to Ministry officials that when she touched the veil, she had a vision, however she was able to recount only a vestige of said vision." 

Draco scooted closer, and rested his head on Sirius's shoulder to read the book, but it was difficult under the faint light. "Does it say anything about the vision?" 

Sirius turned to stare at Draco, but the vicinity diminished the effect. "Maybe if you let me finish, we can read it, and go to dinner." 

Draco raised his head. "What's your fixation with food? You don't eat," he mused. 

"You need to eat, and we get to talk...I don't know...It reminds me of the Great Hall, and all the time spent there. Besides, after school, we were all too worried about Voldemort to explore the Muggle world. I never did anything normal like going to dinner." Sirius shrugged. "What can I say? My life after Hogwarts wasn't the most pleasant." 

"Understatement of the millennium. Although that explanation was the most convoluted and least helpful I've ever heard." Draco paused for a moment, and then leaned back against Sirius's shoulder. "First leaving your house, then your friends are killed, then Azkaban, and finally the veil. I've reached the conclusion that it sucks to be you." 

Sirius laughed aloud. "Yes, it really does, but you know? There was a time when people would have done anything to be me. I was popular, I was good looking, I was a great Quidditch player, and I had charm. The teachers loved me, and were forever excusing me. Students wanted to be me or be with me. Life was good." 

"I'm sure," Draco said softly, squeezing Sirius's hand. After a moment, he added, "Why don't you read about the vision?" 

"Right, the vision." For a brief instant, Sirius had felt the compassion coming from Draco. It wasn't something tangible, but a strong feeling, like an invisible grip. Sirius shrugged it off as a trick of his imagination, and his eyes returned to the book. 

"Madam Waterspout reported that her vision was obfuscated by fog, but in the midst, she could see three golden thrones with three women sitting on them." Sirius stopped abruptly, trying to grasp at something from his memory. "I don't think they were women," he finally said. 

Draco looked up immediately. "What do you mean? How do you know?" 

"I'm...I am not quite certain, but I remember the thrones, and the Beings. They weren't women, but I don't think they were man." He looked down at the book. "This is real. What she told them is real." 

"Forget about the book." Draco cupped Sirius's face, and their eyes, so very similar in colour, locked. "Try to remember. What else was there? Did you see other people? Try to focus." 

Sirius concentrated, but as soon as an image appeared, it disappeared just as quickly. He shook his head, angry and frustrated at his inability to remember. "I.... I don't think I'm meant to remember. It's like someone is preventing me from recollecting what happened to me in these two years, and I think it's them, those Beings." 

Draco sighed, disappointed, but then he forced a smile to appear on his face. "But you are remembering. It's only a tiny detail, but it's a sign." Releasing Sirius, Draco sat back again. "With time, you'll remember more; you'll see. What else does the book say?" 

"Right... time." Sirius felt like he had spent his life waiting for something, and yet never arrived. "It says here that Madam Waterspout saw the three women allow a man to leave their reign to fulfill his task, but she didn't know who the man or what the task was." 

"We know who the man is, though," Draco pointed out. 

"Do we? It could be someone else," Sirius opined. 

"Look." Draco moved closer and began to read from the book. "It says here that the veil has been in the Ministry custody since that day. It has always hung, protected, but in over two hundred years, the Ministry hasn't been able to discover the veil's secrets, and no one has returned from there. It must be you." 

"Do you understand that you're making a big logical jump? After all, as far as the Ministry is concerned no one has yet returned, but I have. It could have happened in the past, and those morons working for the Ministry would have never known." 

Draco chuckled. "While I agree with your assessment of the Ministry, it is unlikely that this has happened before. First, it makes sense that it's you. You were alive when you fell through the veil. I doubt many people sneak into the Ministry to jump through the veil, even assuming that people know about it. I doubt that it's something that the Ministry advertises. Two, we know that you returned. What are the chances that they would send two people back? And lastly, even if they had sent back more than one person, it would be safe to assume that each person had a task to perform. So, there, you're the one." 

"We still don't know what my task is." Sirius sighed. "God, I never liked research. Why couldn't they give me a wand, and tell me who to kill?" 

"I doubt you have to kill anyone. This is something...I don't even know... mystical? We'll find out, don't you worry, but...." Draco turned around until he was facing Sirius, and crossed his legs. "I need to take a break. Father...Father has a preliminary hearing in three days, and we still don't know what the Ministry intends to do." 

Sirius nodded. "I know, and I understand how important it is to you, but brighten up, they can't accuse him of things that happened while he was in jail." 

Draco snorted. "Really? These are the same people that have you on their most wanted list even after Father and others testified that you went through the veil, after they found Peter Pettigrew alive, even after the rat testified that you didn't kill those Muggles, and even after Potter and Dumbledore testified on your behalf. As you said, they are morons, and that terrifies me." 

It was Sirius's turn to lean toward Draco and squeeze his hand. "I'm sure it will be fine." The touch was briefer than the words, his hand returning on the book as if the contact burned. Sirius didn't know why, but he could almost feel the emotions that Draco was experiencing. Was it the need to touch someone, to have contact with someone, or did he really feel Draco's moods? He didn't have an answer, for now, and decided to focus on the book once more. "There is nothing else here about the veil besides how _safely_ it has been guarded by the Ministry." 

"Very safely. Only underage students and Death Eaters are allowed to break in," Draco said in jest. "All right, let's put these books back, and then we leave. You will have to disappear. There are too many ghosts that would report your presence if they saw you." 

* * *

Ignoring Draco's warning, Sirius went to the Ministry on the day of Lucius's preliminary hearing. He still thought Lucius was an evil bastard, but he also knew first hand how unfair their legal system was, and he wanted to be there for Draco, if something bad were to happen. 

Dimming his presence to nothing more than particles of faint light, Sirius sat in a corner. He recognised Amelia Bones as she presided over the Wizengamot. Dumbledore was also present as a member. Sirius wondered why he returned to the Wizengamot, but didn't sit as chief once more. Sirius watched horrified as the Ministry interrogator, a certain Mr. Tremont, asked the High Council of Wizengamot that Lucius be given the kiss for his involvement with Voldemort. He also asked that the trial be expedited since everyone was aware of said involvement. 

Lucius sat, back straight in the centre of the room, his eyes firmly on the Wizengamot, ignoring the magical bindings that tied him to the chair. Sirius was impressed when the accused man didn't even flinch while listening to the request. When Mr. Tremont finished to address the Court, Lucius finally spoke up. "Madam, members of the Wizengamot, Mr. Tremont, while Mr. Tremont's arguments are pretty powerful, none of them are based on facts, but conjectures. I respectfully request a continuance for a full trial and the opportunity to obtain representation." 

Madam Bones addressed the defendant for the entire Court. "Mr. Malfoy, while I must admit that the Wizengamot is as confused as you are about the exact charges brought against you, your family has informed us that they have been unable to find a barrister to take your case." 

Lucius turned to his family and Narcissa nodded slightly. "In that case, I shall defend myself, however limited my access to legal tomes is." 

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy. In view of the many injustices that have plagued our system in the past, you shall have a continuance for a full hearing on the merits. Mr. Tremont, please inform the Wizengamot in writing of the precise charges levied against Mr. Malfoy. The Court expects written pleading on or before October 2nd. A copy shall be furnished to Mr. Malfoy as well. We'll adjourn the case for a full hearing until October 20th. " Madam Bones looked at the two men. "Anything else?" A

unison 'No, Madam' resonated in the courtroom. 

"Very well. Since both parties rest, this hearing is adjourned to October 20, 1998." 

Lucius turned to Draco and Narcissa, and smiled. Sirius could see that he was trying to reassure his family. A brave attempt certainly, but Sirius doubted that it was fouling anyone. 

Sirius watched as the Aurors took Lucius away, and then he left the courtroom, and headed for the Malfoy manor. Draco and Narcissa arrived not too long after him. They walked into the family room as if nothing had happened, but not even their self-control could erase the tension in Draco's body and Narcissa's red eyes. 

"I'm sorry," he murmured, "but at least you have time. We can see how we can help, maybe find a barrister. Come on, Slytherins are resourceful, right?" 

"I told you not to go." Draco's voice was devoid of any emotions, a sure sign of his inner fight. 

Sirius smiled. "I know, but I wanted to be there." He approached his cousins, and hugged Narcissa. He felt her hands go around his body and squeeze tightly. He should be worrying about her, but couldn't help notice that he didn't feel any emotion coming from her. However, the thought was brief, as he tried to console her. "I'm the last person who should tell you that everything will work out, but you must have faith. That man was talking about a lot of things that happened after Lucius went to Azkaban. They can't hold him responsible for that." He stepped back, and rested a hand on Draco's shoulder, and the sad energy was undeniable. "Why don't we go out for lunch? When we come back, we can start looking for a barrister." 

"No one wants to get involved, Sirius. I've tried," Narcissa said. 

"We'll try again, and we'll find something. Why don't you freshen up before we go out?" Sirius asked softly. 

Narcissa nodded. "I shall be but a moment." 

Sirius waited until Narcissa had left the room before addressing Draco. "Are you all right?" 

"Yes, of course, everything is nice and dandy" he snapped. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I'm just...I'm tired, tired of thinking, of planning, of preparing, but mostly, I'm tired of hoping." 

Sirius pulled Draco into his arms, just like he had done with Narcissa, but the sensation was different. Draco didn't cling, yet Sirius could feel their bodies almost melt into each other. "Never stop hoping. I promise I'll help you in anyway I can; I promise." 

"Why? Why are you doing this? You hate my father, us, our all family. Being friendly and understanding was never part of our agreement," Draco said, still holding Sirius tight. 

"I know, but as much as I hate Lucius, no one should be convicted for something he didn't commit." Sirius cupped Draco's face. "And I don't hate you or your mother." With a sigh, he released Draco. "I've spent twelve years hating myself and the world, and when I got out of Azkaban, I locked myself in a self-imposed, mental jail. I don't know if the veil has anything to do with this, but I don't want this anymore. I can't hate people based on houses and family ties. I consider you my friend, and I always help my friends." 

"That's...it's quite a speech. I'm ..." Draco extended his hand. "I'm honoured to be your friend." 

Sirius looked between Draco, and the proffered hand for a moment before taking it between his and shaking it vigorously. "I do have a favour to ask. Will you manage to get your mother out of the house sometime before sundown." 

Draco laughed. "I don't know. Not even friendship is worth going against Mother." 

"That's right," Narcissa said as she entered the room. Sirius could see immediately how well composed she was, looking as if she had forgotten the events of the morning. Narcissa was a good actress. "Even without knowing the reason why you're gossiping about me, I can tell you that it's not smart to cross me." 

"I don't doubt it, my dear." Taking Narcissa's arm, he walked toward the Apparition room. He turned and smiled at Draco before they all left to spend the afternoon in London. 

* * *

Draco and Sirius were in the library. An old tome lay open on the mahogany table. Draco sat in the heavy chair with Sirius standing right behind him. Sirius had his hand on Draco's shoulder while he leaned to read a passage from the book. They both turned when the door slammed open. 

Narcissa marched to the desk and crushed a parchment on the wood surface. "Look at this. Just read it." 

Draco raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything. He unfolded the crumpled parchment, and smoothed it out with his hands before reading its content. He moved slightly, giving Sirius more room until the Gryffindor was sitting on the armrest of the chair. 

Sirius didn't even wait until he had read the entire thing before looking up. "This is ridiculous. How do they expect him to have committed these crimes while being in Azkaban?" 

"If you were thorough, you'd know." Draco pointed to one of the closing paragraphs. "They are using a conspiracy theory. They were all members of a criminal organization, therefore each member is held responsible for all the crimes committed by the organization." 

"This sounds like something Muggles would come up with. It certainly isn't any law that I have heard of," Narcissa exclaimed. 

"Tremont is Muggle-born. I checked," Draco answered. "If we had a solicitor, he could answer us. As is, we have to do some research ourselves, and see if it would stand up in front of the Wizengamot." 

Narcissa sat down with a sigh. "A lot of good that would do to your father. They still won't let me see him. They are being spiteful. Their original reason that we could pass information doesn't exist now that the Dark Lord is dead." 

"Of course, they are being spiteful, but we don't need to find a way to speak with Father. Sirius found an alternative." 

Narcissa's back straightened, and she focused on the two men. "He did, did he? How did he achieve such a task?" 

Sirius grinned. "It's really my father's fault. One time, when we were young, he started yelling at Regulus. I jumped in, defending him, and Father answered that I shouldn't interfere because only lawyers could defend others, before proceeding to punish us both. You know my love for father?" 

Narcissa smiled. "Oh yes, it rivalled the love you had for your mother." 

"That's right," Sirius answered with a lopsided smile. "So I started looking for a way to shut him up, and I found it. The next time it happened I jumped to Regulus's defence, and when Father yelled at me, I showed him this old law from 1672, which gives blood relatives the right to defend the accused. It was enacted at a time when towns had no barristers, but it has never been repealed." 

"What did your father say?" Narcissa asked. 

"He was so impressed that he didn't punish either one of us. I think it was the only time I remember him being proud of me," Sirius said, the melancholy ringing clear in his voice. 

Draco's hand rested on Sirius's thigh for a fleeting moment, and a wave of sympathy passed between them, before Draco focused on Narcissa again. "Now, you can defend Father. We can do the res-" 

"Wait! You expect me to do it?" Narcissa shook her head. "I can't do this." 

Draco frowned. His mother had always done anything necessary for their family and he couldn't understand from where this reluctance was coming. "Mother, we have no choice. We can't find anyone else." 

Narcissa stood up, and began pacing. "You don't understand; I simply can't. It's hard enough for me to be in that room, and not touch him, talk to him, to be so close, and pretend that we're strangers..." Her voice cracked, and she closed her eyes for an instant. "I can't, Draco. I couldn't be calm enough to do this properly." She neared the desk, and took her son's hands in hers. "You must do this for your father and me. I know you're strong enough, and you're certainly bright enough." 

Draco looked into her blue eyes, and saw the pleading there. Would he be capable of doing this? Would he be strong enough to do what would be needed to get his father free? In the end, he had no choice. "I shall do it." 

Sirius squeezed his arm. "I'll help you. We can do the research, determine a strategy, and after a few minutes, and after we delude ourselves that we're capable of doing this, we can turn to friends to obtain help." 

Draco laughed despite the direness of the situation. "Thank you for the words of comfort, but I'll let you know that I don't have many friends left, and the ones I have, have their own problems." 

"That's a load of hippogriff's dung." Sirius reached for a quill, and began scribbling before passing the parchment to Draco. 

Draco looked at the list of names: Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger. He looked up at Sirius. "What exactly is this?" 

"These are people I trust, people that can help," Sirius answered. 

"Right... and you're mad," Draco said in a chipper tone of voice. "You've lost your mind, and we didn't know." He snorted as he crumpled the paper. "I bet they'd be thrilled to help my father and me." 

"You did help Harry, and you are my cousin," Sirius pointed out. 

"Oh, come on, Sirius. We've never spoken when you were...alive...or whatever. What do you think I should do? Go there and say I need your help because I'm Sirius's first cousin twice removed? I can see them rushing to help me." Draco took a deep breath. "The only one who will help is Severus." 

Sirius shivered involuntarily at the name, but tried to ignore the anger and annoyance he felt every time he heard the name. "Then talk to him, and see if he can gather all those people. He can help you talk to them. I'm sure Dumbledore would help, if only because of your role with Voldemort, and Tonks..." Sirius looked at both his cousins, but his attention was on Narcissa "She's a good kid, just like Andromeda. I'm sure she'd help, and maybe...who knows...you can meet with them. There aren't many people left in the Black family, why push away the ones who are left?" 

Narcissa's smile was pale like a dawn, winter sun at the mention of her sister. "I don't know if Andromeda would even want to talk to me, Sirius, but I can't worry about that now, and neither can Draco. We must focus on Lucius for the moment." 

"I know that, but Draco should speak with Tonks. She'll help if she can. I'm sure of it." Sirius watched while Draco smoothed the list, and looked it over. "They won't bite, you know." 

Draco sniggered. "No, they won't, but they will gloat when they see me beg." He put the parchment down and looked at Sirius. "It's all right. I can do this for Father. I'll talk to them and hope that they are willing to help." 

Sirius cupped Draco's nape, and ran his thumb over the side of Draco's neck. "It'll be all right. I promise." 

* * *

Draco walked for the second time in less than a month through the tall doors of Hogwarts. However this time, familiarity was replaced with nerves, anticipation had morphed into anxiety. 'It will be all right. The worse they can say is "no".' Sirius's words kept echoing in his head, but it wasn't that easy. If they said no, he'd be left with very little but a pile of books and the hope that he could transform himself into a barrister in the two weeks left before the hearing. 

The entrance to the staircase opened when he approached. He climbed the steps two at a time until he reached the heavy wooden door that lead to the Headmaster's office. The door swung open without help, and Draco walked inside, trying to suppress all that he was feeling. 

Severus greeted him at the door, and Draco was happy to see a familiar and friendly face, and what exactly did it say of this meeting when he associated 'friendly' with Severus Snape? However, he smiled, and greeted everyone in the room. 

"I believe you know everyone, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said with a paternal smile. 

Draco wanted to smack that smile off, immediately. It reminded him of the bad experiences in school. It didn't help that Dumbledore knew very well that Draco didn't know everyone in the room, and that was trying to play his usual games. "As a matter of fact, I don't think I do. Mr. Shacklebolt, I presume," he said extending a hand toward the Auror. "How do you do." 

Kingsley leaned to shake Draco's hand, but didn't get up. "How do you do, Mr. Malfoy." 

Draco turned to the woman he didn't know, a woman who was currently sporting electric blue hair and eyes that matched the colour of her shirt. Beneath the hideous colour scheme, Draco saw a resemblance to his mother and his aunt Bella. 

The woman was looking at him with suspicion and curiosity, and Draco couldn't blame her since he felt the same, but this wasn't the right place or time to rebuild those bridges that had been severed before they were even born. Undecided on how to great her, he finally settled with a 'It's a pleasure, Ms. Tonks'. 

She grinned at him, and the transformation was amazing, making her look even more like her aunts. "Please, call me 'Tonks'; everyone does." 

"Then, call me Draco. Only family and friends do," he answered with a smirk. 

"God, Malfoy, I have to listen to your snobbish comments even now? I had hoped never to see you again," was the comment from a very familiar voice. 

Draco counted to ten and back, thought about his father and the possible consequences if he hexed the Gryffindor. "I assure you that the feeling is mutual, Weasley. Unfortunately, current events have required me to-" Merlin, he hated even saying it, but they had discussed it with Sirius. Humility, whether real or feigned, was probably the only way to get the help he was seeking. 

He swallowed hard, and then he felt something, a fleeting touch as light as a summer breeze, and he smiled. Sirius was here somewhere, and the show of support made him feel good. "I'm here to ask for your help, Weasley, yours and the help of everyone else present." 

"Our help with what exactly?" Lupin asked in that soft tone of voice that had annoyed Draco throughout Lupin's tenure in school. He never understood why it irritated him so much, but of course, voices were not an issue at the moment, convincing this group to help was much more important. 

"I'm here to ask for help in presenting my father's case in front of the Wizengamot," he said with as much calm as he could muster. 

Shacklebolt laughed, his baritone voice ringing in the office. "I'm sorry for a moment I thought you asked for our help in freeing your father." 

Draco shook his head. "Not at all, I'm asking for your help in presenting his case. I was told that you are people of integrity, people who believe in fairness. Well, no one will defend my father, and I will have to do it myself, however I am aware of my limitations, and I'm asking for any help that you can provide." 

"I don't see how any of us can help," Longbottom spoke up. "In fact, we could probably damage your father's case." He looked around the room for some sort of silent agreement, and Draco concluded that he had received it when he continued. "We were all present the day he was arrested." 

Draco nodded. "With the exception of Severus, yes, I am well aware of that, but I believed...hoped that there might be other testimony that could help my father. You do know that he was not involved in anything after the arrest; he couldn't have. He also would not have been privy to the Dark Lord's-" 

"Voldemort." Dumbledore smiled benevolently at Draco, and nodded for him to continue. 

"Of course, Voldemort's plans. All of you know that, and your testimony would carry a strong impact because of who you are and what you represent." 

Potter spoke for the first time. His voice had none of the anger and energy that it had in school. Instead, the Gryffindor sounded interested, curious, but also detached. It was strange not to feel that antagonism anymore, but maybe it was a sign that they were both growing up. However, the question showed Draco just how much Potter had changed. "How do you know who was present at the Ministry?" 

"Ah?" Draco frowned. "I must have read it somewhere." 

Potter shook his head, and his glasses fell down his nose. He pushed them up with a finger until they covered the creased brows. "Our names were never made public. Only the Death Eaters and us were aware of who was there. Even the Aurors didn't have a full list. So who told you? You can't have contact with your father, the only Death Eaters alive are Crabbe and Goyle, and they are in the same situation as your father, and Bellatrix." 

Draco understood immediately what Potter was implying, and he couldn't really blame the Gryffindor. Since he couldn't tell the truth, he decided that attacking might just prove to be the best defence. "I haven't seen or spoken to Aunt Bella since our sixth year, well before I accidentally helped saving your arse, Potter. I don't remember how I know, but I know. I don't understand how it impacts your willingness to help me." 

"The fact that you're a lying, scheming bas-" 

Dumbledore raised a hand before Weasley could go any further. As much as Draco was happy about the intervention he hated Dumbledore's gaze on him. Those eyes almost burned his skin with their intensity, but Draco shook the sensation off. "I'm not asking for any of you to lie or do anything illegal or immoral. I'm asking for any assistance you can offer." 

"But if we can't trust you..." Harry pushed his glasses on again, but when speaking he wasn't looking at Draco, but behind him. "When you know something you shouldn't, it makes me wonder what else you're hiding." 

Draco was mildly annoyed. These were the trusting and brave Gryffindors; they were supposed to help and ask questions later; they were certainly not supposed to be so distrustful. "I'm not hiding anything, Potter." 

"You're always hiding something," Weasley snapped back. 

Losing his patience, Draco glared at the redhead. "And you're so stupid that you wouldn't find it out even after it bit you in the arse." 

"And you are a dirty, rotten, lying, cheating..." 

A light became stronger until a solid shape appeared behind Draco. "Why don't you both stop being so childish?" 

Draco turned around immediately. "What are you doing? I thought we agreed that you wouldn't show yourself to anyone." 

"I thought we agreed that you'd keep your calm," Sirius answered with a cheeky grin. 

"I am calm. See-" Draco showed him his hands. "This is me being very calm. I haven't touched my bloody wand once, since I arrived. Do you know how much restraint it takes not to hex Weasley?" 

"Insulting him isn't restraint, either," Sirius retorted. 

"Says the man who can't keep his mouth shut to save his life," Draco snapped back. 

"And here I thought Lupin and Black were the old bickering couple," Severus said sarcastically. 

Sirius and Draco stopped abruptly and turned to Severus. "We're not bickering," Draco said. 

"And we're not married," Sirius pointed out. 

"And I'm not old." 

"Are you implying that I am," Sirius asked. 

Draco shrugged. "I'm not implying anything. I am not old and you...you aren't even alive." 

 

"Yes, some of us-" Severus looked at Harry who was sitting in his chair, his hands gripping the edge of the seat. "-would like to know what exactly is going on." 

Draco was getting ready for an outburst from Potter, but when it came, it was scary for its icy calm. Gryffindors weren't supposed to be calm or rational; they didn't resort to sarcasm. They were violent, and instinctive. The fact that Potter was none of these things told him just how hurt the Boy Who Had Survived Twice really was. 

"There is nothing to know," Harry said coldly. "Obviously, Sirius wasn't completely gone, and preferred to spend his time with Malfoy. They are family, after all." 

Draco could physically feel the change in Sirius; he noticed how his body became less visible as he pleaded with Potter. "No, Harry, that's not it..." 

Draco put a hand on Sirius's arm, and he could barely feel him against his hand. "Potter, don't be ridiculous. If you will dismiss Sirius and his story so easily, you're a bigger fool than I thought." 

"Oh certainly, I ought to listen to you since you've been forthcoming." Harry snorted, but then focused on Sirius. "I would have liked to have you around, even if only as a ghost." 

Hermione had been sitting quietly absorbing all that was happening around her. Her quest for research and knowledge had not diminished, but she had learned the value of listening. She had also learned when it was time to speak up, and this was the perfect moment. "He's not a ghost. He doesn't display any of the characteristics of a ghost, but I'm not sure what he is." 

"And that ought to make it better?" Harry laughed sadly. "I don't think so, Hermione. He's been free to move around, show himself, talk to people, and he's never bothered to contact me. I don't bloody care what he is at this point." 

"We don't know what he is either, Potter, and he couldn't simply contact you. First of all, he hasn't been around for two years. I might have killed him for good if that were the case," Draco said with a smirk. "Sirius appeared at the house in the middle of August, and we've been looking for answers." He looked at Sirius, then at Potter. "I convinced Sirius not to say anything until we were sure that showing himself wouldn't have a negative impact on whatever his task is." 

Sirius cut him off. "Are you still on about that? We don't know if the vision is about me." 

"I believe it is. Of course if instead of hiding in the library, you'd have come up and seen me, I could have helped you," Dumbledore said, maintaining an air of placidity that was incongruous with the situation in the room. 

Draco raised his eyebrow, and faced the old headmaster, plastering his own, very fake smile on his face. "I'm sorry, but are you saying that you knew that we were here?" Draco asked. 

"Mr. Malfoy, you don't think that you could have stayed in my school for hours without someone reporting your presence to me." It was still delivered with a smile and a calm tone, but Draco heard the power beneath it. How could people not see what a devious man Dumbledore was? He still couldn't comprehend that. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Potter accused the headmaster. If Potter had been cold with Sirius, he was absolutely icy now. Hell would have frozen over with a simple glare from those green eyes that hid a power whose depth was known only to a few. 

"Because it wasn't my place, Harry. Sirius must decide what is the proper course of action to successfully complete his task, and I must agree with Mr. Malfoy, caution needs to be used. Anything we do could interfere with the outcome of his task." 

Draco looked between Dumbledore and Potter, and the silent battle that was ensuing in the room. Then Potter looked away and focused on Sirius, but for a moment, before his eyes shifted, Draco saw disgust and hate and resignation. Maybe someone did see Dumbledore for who he truly was? 

Potter got up, and approached Sirius. His hand hovered over his godfather's arm, unsure of what to do next. "Can I touch you?" 

"Yes, of course." Sirius smiled, and didn't wait for Harry, but instead pulled him into a hug. "You look so grown up... God, you're a man, and Draco told me about Voldemort. I'm really proud of you." 

"I did what I was supposed to do," Harry said stoically, but looked up at his godfather's. "He caused everyone I loved to die, and I couldn't let him continue to ruin people's lives." 

"Maybe, or maybe not, but you still did something amazing. I never wanted you to have this burden, Harry." Sirius ruffled Harry's already dishevelled hair. "I won't even say anything about how dangerous and stupid it was to rush after Voldemort by yourself." 

Then something that hadn't happened in a long time happened. Harry laughed, truly laughed. "You mean that it's not exactly what you'd have done in my place?" 

"Oh no," Draco said sarcastically. "Sirius would never do anything rush, like suddenly appear in a room filled with people who think he's dead without knowing what the consequences could be." 

Sirius reached for Draco while one arm was still around Harry's shoulder. "Everything is all right. No end of the world, no sudden occurrences, no disappearing." 

Draco resisted the urge to say bang his head against a wall, or maybe bang Sirius's head. God, he wanted to hurt Sirius when he became this superficial. "You don't know that. The consequences might not be apparent to us right now, and you have to think long term." 

"You will never convince him of that," Lupin said gently, and then he smiled at Sirius. "It's good to have you back, Padfoot." 

Sirius nodded, unable to speak. How many times would they have to do this? How many times would they have to find themselves as the last survivors? "It's good to see you, Moony, and please convince Draco that he's wasting his time." 

"While I'm not in the habit of reasoning with reckless Gryffindors, I don't give up on family either," Draco answered. 

"Your definition of family is somewhat amorphous," Tonks chipped in. 

Sirius left the two young men, and approached the Auror. "Or maybe it's changing. Give him time, Tonks, and you never know what might happen. So do I get a hug from my most beautiful cousin?" 

Tonks grinned. "Yes, you do, right before I kick your arse for running off, and not letting us know you were back." She stood up, and hugged her cousin. 

"You might not be able to do that," Draco cut in. "He becomes incorporeal when negative emotions are involved, although mother might try to hurt him if she finds out that he doesn't think that she's the most beautiful in the family." 

"How would you know?" Harry asked suspicious. 

"That she is the most beautiful?" Draco asked surprised. 

"No, you git." Harry rolled his eyes. "That he becomes incorporeal." 

"He tried to hit me, twice, and before you ask, I didn't do anything. He assumed that Father and I were involved in his reappearance," Draco drawled out. 

"Of course, always blame the Slytherins," Severus remarked, and Draco couldn't resist a smile. Severus was always so predictable in his comments, especially since he still lived the House rivalry on a daily basis. 

Of course, Sirius wasn't any better. "That's because they are always to blame." 

"So why do you want us to help Malfoy?" Ron's question silenced the room. 

Sirius walked next to Draco before his eyes swept over the people present. "I don't like Lucius; in fact, I hate him. I don't trust him, and I thought that I would never be happier than the day he'd be at Azkaban, but no one, not even Lucius Malfoy, deserves to be in that place for something he didn't commit." 

"That's quite mature of you," Dumbledore said. The old wizard looked at the two men who were standing side by side. Draco had the impression that he was searching for something, evaluating them, but you never knew with Dumbledore. He might have been thinking about what kind of sweets to have for supper. 

So lost in thought he was that Draco almost jumped when he heard Dumbledore address him. "Mr. Malfoy. I can't speak for the others, but you shall have my help. In fact, I still haven't repaid my debt for looking out for Harry." 

Draco gritted his teeth. How could he make people understand that he had been interested in everything but protecting the pride of Gryffindor? Even the allusion that he might be so demented infuriated him, but he kept a smile on his face, and waited for whatever Dumbledore would say next. 

"If you have any specific request, this is the time. I shall not be able to refuse you," Dumbledore said with a sparkling in his eyes 

Sirius grinned at Dumbledore, then turned to Draco. "This is perfect. The headmaster is a member of the Wizengamot, and he can represent your father." 

It was then that Draco knew why Dumbledore was scrutinizing them. The old bastard! The old goat would make him choose between his father and Sirius. Draco smiled at Sirius. "That's great, but I'll represent my father." He turned to Dumbledore. "There is something else that I want: your help in discovering Sirius's task, unless you know it already and are not disclosing it." 

"Draco, are you sure?" Sirius took Draco's hands in his. "Think about your father." 

"I am; trust me, I'm always thinking of him, but I can do this. You said so yourself, and I promised to help you find a solution." Draco turned to Dumbledore. "Headmaster?" 

Dumbledore nodded, as if approving Draco's choice. "No, I don't have an answer. I did research the veil after Sirius's disappearance, but I had no indication that he was the man referred to in the vision. All right, Mr. Malfoy, you shall have my help, and I'm sure everyone else here will do his or her best, as well." 

Draco refrained from snorting. Leave it to Dumbledore to state that everyone was free to do as he or she pleased, while in fact, telling them what to do. "Thank you, headmaster. I do have a question. Will you be part of the Wizengamot?" 

"I will have to recluse myself if I help you with the case," Dumbledore said. 

"So it's either your help or a vote in my father's favour," Draco noted. 

Dumbledore smiled. "I never said I would vote in your father's favour." 

Draco couldn't help but smile as well. "No, Sir, you did not. I'll take your help." He squeezed Sirius's hand before letting go. "I shall tell Mother. Why don't you stay? I'm sure everyone would love to chat with you." He heard a snort from Severus and smiled. "Well, almost everyone. I shall see you later, all right?" 

"Okay, ...Later, then." Draco locked gaze with Sirius. He didn't know what Sirius wanted to say, but obviously his cousin was trying to communicate something that went right about Draco's head. "Yes, later. Goodbye, everyone, and thank you again." Draco nodded to everyone and walked outside, Apparating home to give his mother the good news.

* * *

Narcissa Black Malfoy saw herself as the paradigm of control. She had survived the rise of a Dark Lord twice, her husband's imprisonment, controlling parents, crazy relatives, and the appearance of her not-so-quite dead cousin, all with perfect poise. However to everything there was a limit. 

In the future, she would blame the fact that the trial was only a few days away or the fact that Draco was her baby, her one and only child. Whatever the reason was, something snapped in her that night. 

It had started on a night like so many others. They had supper together before moving to the living room. They talked, discussed current events and general gossip, avoiding carefully any mention of the trial or Lucius. 

Sirius was sitting on the armrest of the large armchair that Draco was using. Every time he shifted, their bodies touched. He would lean until their faces were so close that Narcissa thought they were going to kiss. Narcissa watched carefully at first, annoyed soon enough, and utterly furious by the end of the night. However, she kept a polite smile on her face, because she refused to upset her baby. 

When Draco got up, and bid them good night, she rose, and walked toward him. "Good night, love." She kissed his cheek, and waited until Draco had left before turning to her cousin. "You even think about going to his bedroom, and I will find a way to cut your balls off, is that understood, Sirius?" 

Sirius blinked once, and twice, and gaped like a fish, and then he finally said, "What are you on about?" 

"You and Draco. Do you think I'm blind, Sirius? I can see the way you look at him, and I won't have you upset him." 

"I am not upsetting him, Narcissa," he said through gritted teeth. "In fact, I don't look at him in any special way. You are imagining things." 

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "Do you really think I'm stupid? I know what I see, not simply tonight, but every day, building slowly. Leave him alone, Sirius. Draco deserves better." 

Sirius jumped up. "Yes, of course. I'm good enough to help you and your murderous husband, but I'm not good enough for your precious son." 

Narcissa grabbed his arm. "Sirius, you are not alive. We don't even know if you will stay here. We know very little, and I don't want my son hurt. Is that too hard to understand?" 

Sirius covered her hand, and sighed. "No, it's not. I'm sorry I snapped at you, and I can understand your concern, but it's unfounded. I don't want to hurt him either, Narcissa, and besides, I would never tell him. He doesn't need to know that I'm queer, and I've learned long ago to hide it." 

"Oh, love." Narcissa hugged his cousin, something she hadn't done since they were little children, playing together during boring family parties. She stepped back, and took his hand, leading him toward the couch. "Your mother was a right bitch, and your father wasn't any better. There is nothing wrong with you being gay. That doesn't worry me" 

"My opinion of my parents is much worse than yours, and your parents weren't better." Sirius sat next to her. She immediately moved close to him, wrapping her legs beneath her, hiding under the long robe she wore. 

"Narcissa, really, I won't upset Draco. He can go on, dating all the witches he wants, never learning of this." 

"Sirius, I swear you must be blind, or stupid, or both. Have you seen any women around?" Narcissa sighed, and then she took his hand in hers, and explained patiently. "Draco is gay. He told me after Lucius was arrested. The poor boy had convinced himself that Lucius's arrest was punishment for him being gay. He was a right mess when he came home, jumpy, nervous, until he finally told me. Sirius, what scares me is not that he doesn't want you, but that he might. There is so much still that we don't know about you, yet." 

Sirius kissed her hair, it smelled of jasmine and freesia, so unlike the austere potions his own mother used. He stayed like that, his cheek against her head "How did you become such a great parent? We haven't had the best role models." 

"That's exactly the reason. Merlin, I was so happy the day I got married. I loved Lucius, and I couldn't wait to be with him, but getting out of my parents' house was also a big reason for my happiness. I swore that day that my children would never feel like that." She smiled softly against his skin. "I did well with Draco. He is as happy as he can be under the circumstances. He's spoiled I know." 

"But that's part of his charm," Sirius added with a soft chuckle. 

"Yes, it is." She moved until she could see Sirius. "No child ought to go through what you did, Sirius, but for a Gryffindor, you were a coward when it came to your feelings. You should have told Severus long ago how you felt." 

Sirius tensed around her. "What do you mean?" 

"Stop pretending with me. We might have not been talking in school, but I knew you too well. All the bickering, all the fights, the name calling, it was so obvious that you fancied him. You should have told him." 

"Snape was never interested in me." 

She nodded. "I'll grant you that. He was more interested in your best friend." 

Sirius looked at her, shocked. "James?" 

Narcissa shook her head vehemently. "No, not Potter. Lupin, but of course you put a stop to that little crush. He never told me what you did, but he was adamant that he wanted nothing to do with either one of you." 

"I might have..." Sirius cleared his throat. "I might have told him how to find Remus during the full moon." 

"God, Sirius, you were a prick. You could have killed him, and Lupin? You know what they could have done to him?" However as she reproached him, she was smiling. "You should have been sorted in Slytherin." 

"I... I wasn't thinking, Narcissa. I wanted to get his attention, but he didn't care. I was upset, and...." Sirius took a deep breath. "There is no excuse, is there? I've never apologized to either one of them. I've made excuses all the time, but the words 'I'm sorry' never made it out, but that doesn't mean that I was a Slytherin," he finished with a grin. 

Narcissa patted his thigh. "Maybe you have a second chance now, and maybe they'll get a second chance, too." 

"Remus isn't gay," answered Sirius immediately. 

"Aren't gay people supposed to have some sort of way to recognise each other? Maybe you ought to invent a code, because Sirius, you are hopeless." She kissed his cheek affectionately. "Lupin is bent, dear. It amazes me how you three spent so much time together and didn't know. Two Gryffindors, a Slytherin, lots of fighting, it was a romance waiting to happen," she said laughing. 

"I..." Sirius frowned and then looked worried. "Wait? You talked about bickering, two Gryffindor, a Slytherin, what about Harry, Ron, and Draco?" 

"No, they truly hate each other. From what Draco tells me, Weasley is very much straight and so is Potter. Draco is much better at discerning people's sexuality than you are." She grew pensive for a moment. "I don't know if he knows about you, but he'd have to be blind not to see that you're interested in him. He's a good boy, very responsible, but he's also eighteen. Hormones have a way to override logic at his age. Please, try and be an adult for once." 

Sirius nodded. "I will, but I doubt we could have a relationship. As you kindly pointed out, I'm not even alive." 

She squeezed his hand. "But you can still touch, and kiss, and make him feel things. Be careful, please." 

"All right, Narcissa." Suddenly, he grinned. "After all, I'm sure that you would find a way to cut my balls off." 

Narcissa laughed. "Right you are. Now, I'm going to bed. I shall see you in the morning." 

"Good night, Narcissa." He watched her leave, but he disappeared and reappeared in front of her. Sirius embraced her. "He's very lucky to have a mother like you." They looked at each other. They understood how much was left unsaid, from how they should have been as lucky to how different their lives might have been with different parents. In the end, he kissed her forehead and disappeared as she walked to her bedroom.

* * *

The morning of Lucius's trial, Draco was as nervous as a first year waiting to be sorted. The buttons on his robe seemed to have multiplied, and try as he may, he could never get them straight. 

He waltzed into the dining room, his charcoal, velvet robe swirling around him. "Look at this." He waved his hands over the robe. "The buttons are all askew." 

Narcissa smiled. "Have you thought about using magic? Remember that thing that you've been doing since before you were allowed to do it." 

"I'll probably turn myself into a slug if I tried," he said with a sigh. Draco jumped when he felt someone touch him. "Merlin, you sca- Just warn me before appearing out of no where." 

"How can I warn you before I arrive?" Sirius pointed out. "Here, let me help. Raise your chin." Sirius started from the high collar and began to button the two long rows. "I don't understand why you wear these robes. If the collars were any stiffer, they'd break your neck." 

Draco turned his head side to side, a finger between his neck and the collar. "This is just fine. It doesn't bother me, and it doesn't hurt to look proper." He looked Sirius over with the black jeans and shirt that he had been wearing since his fall through the veil. "Not that you'd know anything about that. Have you tried changing clothes?" Draco asked, suspicious. 

"Yes, I have, and it doesn't work. The same way that I can't eat, can't shower, can't sleep." He shifted as the buttons got lower and lower until he was kneeling in front of Draco. 

"Look, Mother. I have my own personal spectre valet." Then, he looked down at Sirius. "I bet a few people would have loved to see you on your knees for them." 

Sirius chuckled, but Narcissa spit her tea, and began to cough. "Draco!" 

Draco looked at her confused for a moment, and then blushed, his white skin turning a bright shade of pink. He could almost pass for a Weasley if it weren't for the hair. "I meant... God, I meant Father and some of his... associates. I didn't..." 

Still laughing, Sirius got up and smoothed the expensive robe. "Stop rambling, it doesn't become you. Besides, it's all right. I wouldn't have minded being on my knees for some men. Not your father, though." 

Draco looked up, locking gaze with Sirius. "I want to thank you." 

"For a few buttons?" Sirius smiled. 

"No, for everything you've done for Father, for convincing your friends to help me. I know they wouldn't have put as much time into this as they did if it weren't for you." 

Draco was still amazed at the amount of work they had done. Granger had provided a full brief on why Tremont's conspiracy theory was not applicable under wizarding law, and several instances where the Wizengamot had refused to accept Muggle legal theories. Tonks and Shacklebolt had formulated a report on Auror procedures when dealing with prisoners in Azkaban, and how they were unable to communicate with outside. 

Dumbledore, Lupin and Severus had helped him with mock trials. Dumbledore played the role of the Wizengamot's interrogator, Lupin acted as the Ministry interrogator - he was surprisingly convincing, very different from the meek persona he always displayed, - and Severus played his father. 

The three would throw strange questions at him, teaching Draco how to think on his feet. They tried different strategies, with Severus trying to guess how Lucius would react to each one of them. It would have been much easier if Draco could speak to his father, but the Ministry had denied his request. 

Potter had helped by being Potter. His statement would carry weight simply because of who he was. The same would apply with Weasley and Longbottom. Of course, the affidavits were submitted to prove when his father was arrested, and when all contact with the outside world ended, but still the court would know the names of the people ready to support Lucius Malfoy. 

However, all the preparation wouldn't mean anything, if Draco couldn't do his part. At the moment, he didn't think he could pass the OWLs, let alone defend his father on murder charges. 

Sirius's voice brought him out of his reverie. "They would have helped because it's the right thing to do, Draco." 

"Of course, Sirius, and Santa Claus will come, and visit for the holidays." Draco smiled. "I don't understand how you can be so arrogant in some things, and can't accept the fact that people will help because of you. As annoying as you are, they love you. So say 'you're welcome, Draco', and we can end it here." 

"You're welcome, Draco," Sirius mimicked with a grin. 

"You can continue your chit chat without me. I have to go get ready for the hearing." Narcissa walked by the two men and laid a hand on Draco's shoulder, squeezing gently. "I shall see you soon, dear." 

"Yes, Mother." Draco waited for her to leave before turning to Sirius, eyes filling with fear. "I can't do this, Sirius. She's counting on me, and I will fail miserably. These are people that have been doing this all their adult lives. I've barely left Hogwarts. I haven't even decided what to do with my life, and I'm supposed to free my father." 

Sirius gripped Draco's arms. "You can do this, Draco. You've been preparing for days, and I know how good you are. Keep your wits about you, and they will be eating out of your hand." 

"And if I don't, Father gets the kiss." Draco closed his eyes and took deep breaths. "I'm afraid, Sirius" 

"Sh." Sirius hugged Draco, a hand sliding up and down Draco's back in a soothing motion. Draco fisted the t-shirt so hard that he might have ripped it if it weren't magically protected in some way. Sirius kissed Draco's temple. "It's all right to be afraid as long as you don't let it take over. Your mother has faith in you and so do I. You'll be great." 

Draco nodded. "Right, I'll be brilliant." 

"That's right, and you know why?" 

Draco shook his head. "I don't doubt that you will enlighten me." 

Sirius cupped Draco's chin. "Because you're a Malfoy and a Black, and there is enough intelligence and arrogance in your blood to overcome your fears." 

"Do you mean I ought to have been a Gryffindor?" Draco asked with a small smile. 

"I wouldn't push it that far." Sirius was happy to see Draco laugh, even happier to feel the mood lighten through their touch.

* * *

When Draco and Narcissa arrived at the Ministry, they found Sirius's friends already waiting in the witness room. Severus came out to great them. "You will do fine, Mr. Malfoy," were his only words to Draco, but knowing Severus' reluctance to praise anyone, Draco accepted them for the compliment they were. 

They entered the courtroom to find Tremont already at his desk. Lucius was sitting in the chair, bound to it. Narcissa smiled at her husband before finding a seat at the back of the room. Draco saw the faint light next to her chair. Sirius was there, too. 

Then the Wizengamot entered. Tremont got up, and Draco remained standing until all the members took their seat. 

"Please be seated." Both men took their seats as asked. "Are we ready to proceed?" Madam Bones asked the two men. 

"Yes, Madam," they both replied. 

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy, have you received the written charges?" she asked. 

"Yes, I have, Madam." 

"Do you waive their formal reading and explanation thereof?" 

"So waived, Madam." 

"Are you ready to plea at this time?" 

"Yes, I am, Madam." The formality of the proceedings helped Draco settled down. They had gone through the preliminaries so many times during the mock trials that Draco felt he could handle this. When the next question came, he wasn't panicking anymore. 

"How do you plea, Mr. Malfoy?" 

"We admit the charges of breaking and entering and attempted theft of magical artefacts. We deny all other charges." 

Tremont looked at Draco. "You're admitting your father's presence at the Ministry?" 

Draco hid the smile. Dumbledore had suggested that the guilty plea would confuse the Ministry interrogator, and the old goat was right. They had also reasoned that it would cut down on unnecessary testimony that could have brought out negative character factors. "I believe I just said that, Mr. Tremont." 

Tremont blinked once, twice, and then turned to the Wizengamot. "I believe Mr. Malfoy just made the case for the Ministry. Mr. Malfoy was part of a group of Death Eaters who entered the Ministry to steal a prophecy." 

"And as such, he is guilty of illegal entry and attempted theft since they never gained possession of the prophecy. In no way that makes him guilty of-" Draco made a point of looking at the charging document, although he knew the charges by heart. "Forty-three counts of murder, a hundred and thirteen counts of assault and theft, and eighty-six violations of the Dark art laws. Offences that were committed when my father was in Azkaban under Ministry's supervision." 

"Mr. Tremont, I must admit that I've been curious about these charges myself," Madam Bones said. "Are you saying that Mr. Malfoy had contact with other Death Eaters while in Azkaban?" 

"No, of course not. The Ministry would never allowed that," Tremont said horrified. 

"Then the Wizengamot is interested in learning how Mr. Malfoy is guilty of such crimes?" 

"As I submitted in my brief, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement believes that his involvement with the Dark Lord makes him guilty by association since he was aware of the crimes that the Dark Lord would commit to achieve his goal," Tremont said. 

Madam Bones turned to Draco. "And what do you say about this, Mr. Malfoy?" 

"Madam, I believe that my brief makes it clear that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is trying to adopt Muggle laws. I submit that there are Muggle laws, introduced in the colonies, and later adopted in the United Kingdom and the European continent that would support said theory, however, the Wizengamot has historically refused to adopt Muggle laws when there is no support in our laws." 

"Things change," Tremont said. "Madam Bones, I respectfully submit that while history might support Mr. Malfoy's argument, we are dealing with a new situation. We are dealing with supporters of a Dark Lord who wanted to overthrow our government." 

Draco looked like a predator ready to attack when he looked at Tremont. "My esteemed colleague must not know his history, because I fail to see how this is unique to Voldemort." He waited for the gasps to subside. He really needed to thank Dumbledore when this was over. The headmaster had told him that using Voldemort's name would show his disrespect for the man, and it would shock his audience. Once again, Dumbledore had been right. 

"Grindelwald tried overthrowing our government before my father and I were even born, and he wasn't the first dark wizard to do so. In fact he wasn't the last wizard to try. Voldemort tried to gain power in the seventies, and yet the Ministry did not change its laws to take into account a similar situation. When Minister Fudge admitted that Voldemort had returned, again the Ministry had a chance to amend its laws, but didn't. Madam, members of the Wizengamot, it is apparent that the Ministry had several chances to amend our laws to adopt the complicity theory that Mr. Tremont would like to use in this case, but it failed to do so."  
Draco got up and handed a stack of parchment, all indexed and tabbed. He handed similar copies to all fifty members of the Wizengamot. "Assuming, but not admitting, that Mr. Tremont's theory were valid, the Ministry is still required to prove that my father was aware of Voldemort's plans. 

"In those affidavits, you will find testimony from several knowledgeable sources stating that Voldemort did not reveal his plans to anyone, not even his followers. The affidavits are from Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards; Harry Potter, Order of Merlin, First Class; Severus Snape, Order of Merlin, First Class; Neville Longbottom, Order of Merlin, Second Class; Ronald Bilius Weasley, Order of Merlin, Second Class; Kingsley Shacklebolt, Chief Auror, Order of Merlin, Second Class; Nymphadora Tonks, Auror, Order of Merlin, Second Class." 

When he finished the list, he looked around. They had decided not to include Remus Lupin to avoid any discussion about his role under the current, and highly disputed, Werewolf Act. Draco was satisfied to see that the members of the Wizengamot were favourably impressed by the list of names. Even his father looked at him with a mixture of surprise, suspicion and pride. 

"Madam, I have to object to the admission of these affidavits. The Ministry has no access to these witnesses," Mr. Tremont said. 

"On the contrary, Madam, they are all waiting in the witness room, and they are more than happy to testify in my father's behalf on this subject," Draco said with an overly sweet smile. "Of course, to avoid wasting the Wizengamot's time, there is an easier solution. My father is willing to take Veritaserum to answer questions about these charges." 

Lucius had never shown any strong reaction to the proceedings, almost ignoring the fact that they would determine his life. However when Draco talked about the Veritaserum, his head snapped up, looking at his son, but Draco's focus was on the Wizengamot. 

"I made arrangement with the Ministry to prepare the potion. Potions master Severus Snape has checked its potency, and we are satisfied that it was done correctly." Draco found the phial and another parchment on the defence's desk. "Here is the potion, magically sealed, and an attestation from the Ministry that it was prepared by Ministry employees. 

Tremont stood up, his ears red with anger. "Why wasn't I told?" 

Draco calmly turned toward the man. "I believe you ought to discuss the matter with your colleagues. I made my request according to Ministry's procedures." 

"I believe we can dispense with such quarrels. The potion is sealed and verified by the Ministry. To avoid any further discussion, I will administer it. Any objections?" 

"No, Madam," Draco replied immediately. Tremont huffed and puffed, but in the end conceded. 

Madam Bones walked to the centre of the room, and using her wand unsealed the potion. "Please, open your mouth, Mr. Malfoy." 

Lucius looked at Draco again, but his son looked completely relaxed. Ignoring Madam Bones, he opened his mouth and didn't flinch as the three bitter drops of potion hit his taste buds. 

Madam Bones returned to her seat, and checked her watch. "Very well, Mr. Malfoy, you can proceed with your questions." 

"Thank you, Madam Bones." Draco walked around the room until he stood on a side, where he could see the member of the Wizengamot, Tremont and his father, all at the same time. "Father, where you ever a Death Eater?" 

"Yes." 

Draco almost jumped for joy when nothing else came forward. Severus had reassured him that his father was smart enough that would give the shortest answer to satisfy the potion, however they were still taking a gamble. 

"Were you responsible for bringing Voldemort back?" 

"No." 

"Who was?" 

"Peter Pettigrew."  
Draco looked at the faint light next to his mother. There was no harm in having Peter Pettigrew's involvement on record once more. "Were you aware of Pettigrew's attempts?" 

"No, I was not."

"Since Voldemort's reappearance, and before your arrest, did you commit any crimes, other than the ones to which you pled guilty, at the behest of Voldemort?" This was the hardest question. Draco wasn't sure that it would be negative, but Severus had assured him that there had been no attacks prior to that day at the ministry. The Potions master was also adamant that Lucius had not participated in the escape of the twelve Death Eaters from Azkaban. Draco was still not certain about the answer. 

Lucius looked at his son, and smirked. "No, I did not." 

Draco practically sighed in relief. "Since his return were you, at any time, aware of Voldemort's plans?" 

"I was aware of his general plan to create a pureblood society." 

Draco's confidence grew with each answer. "So you had no idea of any specific plot he had?" 

"That's correct." 

"Since you were arrested, have you had any contact with any Death Eaters?" 

"No, I have not." Lucius turned to Tremont and gave him a look of disdain. "The Ministry is extremely efficient at times." 

Draco smiled at the jab. "Since you were arrested, were you in any way, and I mean directly or indirectly, involved with the planning or execution of any crimes in support of Voldemort." 

"No, I was not. I have committed no crimes regardless what Mr. Tremont thinks." 

"Thank you, Father." Draco turned to the Wizengamot. "I have nothing else, Madam." 

Madam Bones turned to her colleagues. "Does anyone have any question for Mr. Malfoy?" Everyone shook his or her head. "Mr. Tremont, do you have any questions?" 

"Yes, only one, Madam. Mr. Malfoy, have you ever killed for the Dark Lord?" 

Draco glared at Tremont for a second. "Madam, the question is too broad, and doesn't reflect the charges brought-" 

Lucius interrupted Draco, the pull of the Veritaserum didn't allow him to lie, but Lucius was smiling as he delivered his answer. "I have, Mr. Tremont, and I've been tried for it already. If your question is whether I have killed since my trial and subsequent acquittal, the answer is no. I have not." 

"I think this satisfies us," Madam Bones said before Tremont would ask any questions. "Those in favour of finding the accused guilty of breaking and entering?" said Madam Bones's booming voice. 

Every hand was raised, but Draco wasn't concerned. The hard part would come later. 

"Those in favour of finding the accused guilty of attempted theft?" Madam Bones asked again, and again all fifty members raised their hand. 

"Those in favour of clearing the accused of all remaining charges?" Madam Bones finally asked. 

Draco held his breath for a moment, but then the hands began to rise, until Madam Bones raised hers. In the end only a few had voted against his father. Draco turned to his mother and grinned. She smiled back at him, but then her eyes went to her husband again. 

"The maximum punishment for breaking and entering is three months and seven days. The maximum punishment for attempted theft is one year, four months and twenty days. Even if we gave you the maximum sentence, your time in Azkaban would exceed the sentence, for this reason, Mr. Malfoy, you are free to go with time served," Madam Bones sentenced. 

The binding on the chair magically opened, and Lucius was released. He got up without a word to the Wizengamot or Tremont, instead he walked to his son. "I'm extremely proud of you, Draco." 

"Thank you. There is something I want to say as well..." Whatever Draco wanted to say was lost in a sea of emotions. "Oh, sod the Malfoy upbringing." Draco hugged a very surprised Lucius, right in front of everyone. "It's bloody good to have you back, Father." 

After the initial surprise wore off, Lucius smiled. "I can't wait to go home." He raised his eyes to see Narcissa come their way. Draco felt the change, and looked behind him. He smiled at his mother, and stepped back. 

Lucius took her hands in his. "Will you hug me, too?" 

She smiled. "I was hoping to do a lot more when we get home. In fact, I was hoping to barricade ourselves in our bedroom for the next few days." 

Draco groaned. "Mother, can't you wait until I'm not around to say these things?" 

She looked at her son with a raised eyebrow. "Dear, I'll stop talking about sex when you stop discussing your sex life with me." 

Lucius looked between his wife and son. "Why would he do that?" he finally asked. 

"Love, a lot of things have changed in two years. Our Draco is a man, not a boy anymore." She took Lucius's arm. "Let's go home, Lucius. Everything else can wait for now."  
"Let's, then."  
As they were walking out, Madam Bones came their way. "Mr. Malfoy-" Lucius looked at her. "I meant your son. Mr. Malfoy, you might want to look into law as a career." 

"I hadn't considered it, but I shall keep it in mind," Draco answered politely. 

"If I'm correct, the parents of two schoolmates of yours have hearings scheduled next month. They might need your assistance." 

Draco hadn't talked to Vince and Greg since Sirius's arrival. In fact, he had pushed aside the entire world to focus on Sirius and his father. It would be easy to forget, but he had received more help than he had hoped for with this trial. Now, he felt that he ought to help his friends. "I will get in touch with them, Madam." 

She nodded. "Very good, Mr. Malfoy. Now, if you'll excuse me. Have a good day." She walked outside before them. 

"If you want to go home, I shall speak with everyone. They are probably waiting for the outcome," Draco said. 

"We ought to go as well," Narcissa told her husband. "They truly helped us." 

"All right." He squeezed her hand. If that was what she wanted, it would be a small price to pay to see his wife smile again. In fact at the moment, nothing seemed too much as long as he got to go home and enjoy his family again. Of course, he'd have to make sure that this feeling disappeared soon enough. It wouldn't do to suddenly be a nice person.

* * *

When they reached the witness room, Lucius felt a sense of panic grow. He hadn't seen so many people since before he had been arrested, and it made him twitch. He reached for the wand that wasn't there, but instead he found Narcissa's hand. 

"Just a quick hello, and then we can go home," she whispered to her husband. 

Lucius nodded, and fought the instinct to leave, but instead politely thanked everyone who approached him. Yes, he would definitely have to stop pretty quickly or people would never be terrified of him, again. Then, he saw the Potions master, and Lucius walked toward him. 

Severus shook Lucius's hand and attempted a brief smile. It looked painful, but Lucius smiled back. "You told Draco what to ask," Lucius said. 

"I might have suggested a question or two," Severus responded calmly, but his lips curled. 

"Thank you, my friend." Lucius looked around, his eyes travelling over the many Gryffindors in the room. "You must be behind this." 

"Actually, I am not. Your son is more resourceful than we knew." Severus looked at Draco who was currently speaking to Dumbledore. "Make sure you get to know him. He's a very different person than the boy you spoilt until two years ago." 

"I had a taste of who he is today," Lucius remarked. 

"You won't be able to control him, anymore," Severus pointed out. 

"Did I ever? I think he listened to me because he admired me, but now..." Lucius watched intently as Dumbledore continued to hold Draco's interest. "Has he turned Draco in a Gryffindor?" 

Severus sniggered. "Your son is a Slytherin through and through. He doesn't trust Dumbledore, but he is humble enough to recognise that he can learn from the man. He's stronger than we were." 

"Enough you two." Narcissa joined Lucius. "You could talk for days, and my husband has a previous engagement. With me," she ended grinning. 

"Then I won't keep you," Severus said with a little bow, but before he left, Tonks and Draco joined them. 

"Father, Mother, I don't think you know Tonks. She's aunt Andromeda's daughter," Draco said cautiously. 

"Nymphadora?" Narcissa said with a frown. 

"Yes, aunt Narcissa, but please, call me Tonks." The Auror stepped closer a little hesitantly, and then she hugged her aunt. "It's nice to meet you."  
"It's a pleasure, dear." Narcissa looked over at Draco, and smiled to reassure her son. He looked like he was waiting for wands to come out and hexes to fly around. "Draco told me about your help. Thank you." 

Tonks stepped back. "The things we do for family," she said, grinning at her cousin. She moved toward Lucius, but before she could even think about hugging him, he extended a hand. "Nice to meet you, Uncle Lucius." 

Lucius couldn't help the shiver down his spine, but kept his smile on. "How do you do, Nymphadora." There was no way he would have used that Muggle-born's last name to address anyone related to him. 

"Well, it was nice meeting you." Tonks raised a hand, saying goodbye. 

"Wait!" Narcissa said on impulse. "Come to dinner. We can do it this coming Saturday. Please, tell your parents that they are more than welcomed to join us. In fact," Narcissa raised her voice a little. "Lucius and I would like to thank all of you for the help and support you've shown our family, and we would love to have all of you as our guests for dinner, on Saturday." 

"I go to Azkaban ,and my wife loses her mind," Lucius whispered to Severus, and the Potions master sniggered. 

"I'll tell my parents, but I'll be there. Thanks, aunt Narcissa." This time Tonks moved away and joined Shacklebolt and Weasley who were talking in a corner. 

"Now that you have invited the enemy into our home, can we go?" Lucius whispered in Narcissa's ear. 

"Yes, love, let's go home." Without waiting for Draco, they went upstairs. They only stopped when Lucius was handed his wand again, and they Flooed back to Malfoy's mansion.

* * *

Draco was sprawled on the couch, reading a book. He wore a green robe that reached his ankles; his attire was completed by a pair of black socks, while his shoes lay on the floor. When he felt a hand on his leg, he put the book down, resting it on his chest. "Do you think they remember about the dinner party tonight?" 

Sirius raised Draco's feet so that he could sit on the couch before lowering them back on his lap. "I doubt it. They haven't been out of that room in four days, and trust me, I mean ever, not at night, not during the day." 

"I'm surprised that you didn't go in to check what they were doing," Draco said with a smile. 

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea what they are doing, and that's why I'm staying away." Sirius nudged Draco's foot. "If they don't come out, it's your job to go, and remind them about the party." 

"Salazar, no. I'm not walking into that room." Draco shivered. "Oh god, I think I'm scarred just thinking about what they are doing." He put the book on floor and propped himself on his elbows. "There must be something I can do to convince you to go for me." He rubbed Sirius's thigh with his foot, and asked suggestively. "Something? Anything?" 

Good god, but how was he supposed to be the adult when Draco acted like a bloody flirt? "Stop it. If your mother sees you, she'll kill us both." 

Draco sat up and moved away from Sirius. "I was only joking, Sirius. Don't worry, I would never ask you to have anything to do with me," he said, a little hurt. They had been flirting for weeks, but then suddenly when his father had come home, a wall had come up and Sirius had avoided even the most innocent innuendo. 

"That's not what I mean." Sirius sighed and reached for Draco's foot. "Hey, will you throw a tantrum now?" he said jokingly. 

Draco swung his legs around and put his shoes on. He got up and stood in front of Sirius. "I'm not throwing a tantrum, and I'm certainly not the one who has been playing childish games. I don't have a problem with who I am, Sirius. It has taken me time to accept that the world wouldn't stop turning if I admitted that I'm gay, but I have." 

Sirius sat, elbows on his spread knees, head down. "Have you considered the fact that maybe I haven't?" Sirius's voice was low, so low that Draco had to guess some of the words. 

Draco sat back down, closer to Sirius this time. "Why wouldn't you?" Draco asked honestly. His voice held curiosity, and a dose of regret for doubting Sirius. "You keep talking about people wanting to be with you. I heard Mother say how you were the one that everyone wanted." 

Sirius turned his head and smiled sadly. "Yes, all the girls. No one knew about me, except James. I told him when my parents threw me out. I know everyone has his version of why I left home, but very few knew the real reason: Regulus, of course, and he might have told your mother, and James." 

"What was the reason, Sirius?" Draco asked gently. 

"I got caught kissing a boy, a Muggle boy. You know it was the 70s, there was an entire sexual revolution in England, but the wizarding world was oblivious to it. I was fascinating with Muggles by then. They had the hippies, the drugs, and sexual freedom, while there weren't any gays in school, although your mother tells me that there were at least another two men in my year." 

"Severus and Lupin." When Sirius looked at him surprised, Draco smiled softly, and patted Sirius's leg. "It's really obvious, Sirius. I don't know Lupin well, but Severus... I had seen him around the house when I was little, but at Hogwarts...I remember the first Potions class, him waltzing into the room, silencing everyone with a mere look. I was in love without knowing. Of course, when I started getting off thinking of him, I finally started to understand. I mean I wasn't really in love; it was a stupid crush, and soon he was replaced by seventh years in my sexual fantasies, but the difference..." Draco licked his lips, thinking back at his sexual awakening, the newly emerging feelings at the sight of other men. "With Severus, I could almost feel a response." 

"I'll tell you a secret." Sirius covered Draco's hand. "I got my first stiff thinking about Snape as well, and I hated him and myself." 

"You never told him?" Draco inquired. 

Sirius shook his head. "I never thought he was gay, and even if I had known... I was terrified, Draco, afraid that more people would find out and that they would shun me, and after, with Voldemort, it didn't seem important. There was something else to focus on besides a relationship. I was twenty-one when they sent me to Azkaban, Draco. Do you have any idea what that does to a man?" 

Draco put a hand around Sirius's shoulder and pulled him closer before kissing Sirius's cheek. "I'm sorry, Sirius. I wasn't thinking. You don't have to tell me more if you don't want to." 

"No, I think you should know, not only because of me, but because of your father. You will see changes, Draco, although he seemed pretty rational after the trial." Sirius leaned into Draco as the blond kept brushing Sirius's hair with his fingers. "I'm sure it's different for him, but when I was arrested, I was already imbalanced. My best friend, the person with whom I had shared everything since I was eleven, had just been killed by someone we trusted with our lives. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. I felt like I was exploding inside." 

Sirius turned and rested his forehead on Draco's shoulder. "I haven't talked to anyone about this. There wasn't anyone. They all thought I was guilty; they were more than happy to see me rot in Azkaban. Who needs a trial, right? Everyone knew that I was guilty. God, I was so angry, especially with Remus and Albus. I thought at least they would try, you know? They were the only people I had left, but they didn't trust me enough." 

Draco kissed Sirius's temple and held him close. What else could he do? Agreeing with Sirius at this point wouldn't have helped. In fact, the last thing Sirius needed was to get more upset with Dumbledore and Lupin. 

"Twelve years I spent in that place, surrounded by dirt and misery, until even the last trace of sanity disappeared. I spent my time as a dog, focusing on getting out so that I could kill Peter. Nothing else mattered but obtaining revenge for James." 

" You're not in Azkaban, and Pettigrew got the kiss. It's over now, Sirius." 

Sirius raised his head. "Is it? That's what I thought when I escaped, but Peter fled, and Voldemort returned. Then, I was stuck in my parents' house. God, I hated that house; I despised everything in there. I was trapped again. I felt fifteen again, and I couldn't make decisions, except that now I was thirty-five, and it was Dumbledore giving the orders. Whatever sanity I had regained in the year I spent travelling around England disappeared again. And now this, I'm not a man. I don't know what I am. Tell me, Draco; tell me when I should have come to terms with my sexuality. I was thrown out of my house for being gay, but I've barely done more than kiss a man. Look at me, and tell me again that I play games." 

Without a word, Draco straddled Sirius's lap and pushed him again the backrest. He licked Sirius's lips, slowly tracing them, waiting for them to part, until he could venture inside. Draco's hands moved slowly over Sirius's chest, his heart beating loud and fast, his chest swelling with each panted breath as Draco continued to explore Sirius's mouth with lazy abandon. 

Their bodies pressed against each other, yet Draco never pressed farther. He kept things light, focusing on the kiss and on keeping as much contact as possible. It was so easy to forget that Sirius was not human when his body felt so warm and solid under Draco. 

When he pulled back, Draco ran his thumb over Sirius's lips. " Now, you have the chance to discover what you've missed. This is only a taste, Sirius." He kissed Sirius's forehead and got up. 

Sirius grabbed Draco's wrist. "Where are you going?" 

"To find a house-elf stupid enough to go inside my parents' room." Draco slowly peeled Sirius's fingers off of his wrist. "Don't be the usual Gryffindor, Sirius. Don't jump into something without knowing what you really want. It's not fair to anyone." 

"I...I never thought..." 

Draco smiled "Neither did I." He had never considered the possibility that Sirius wasn't ready to start a relationship, at least physical. Past experience had taught him that men were more than happy to jump in bed with you, but then Sirius wasn't even a man. Draco wondered if things could get any more complicated than they already were. "Take your time, Sirius. I'm not going anywhere." 

Sirius waited until Draco left the room before murmuring, "We don't know if I can stay."

* * *

A quick search among the house-elves proved that as much as Draco liked to consider them stupid, none of them was so reckless as to enter Narcissa and Lucius's bedroom. However, Draco didn't despair, but neither did he think of interrupting his parents. In the end, he decided that he would do the only thing that any respecting pureblood would do. He sent a message with an owl, his father's personal owl. Let Lucius take it out on his own bird. 

Draco reached the dining room before any of their guests. Sirius was sitting on a chair, feet on the table, throwing breadcrumbs into a glass. "Take your feet off the table," Draco said, without thinking. 

Sirius continued his impromptu basketball game, pausing enough to raise his eyes and address Draco. "If I can't take my clothes off, do you think they could dirty the tablecloth?" 

"I do not know, Sirius. However I don't care to listen to Mother have a conniption because there are marks on a very white tablecloth." Draco walked there, and knocked Sirius's feet off the table. "And it's rude, too." 

"But I aim so much better in that position," Sirius complained. 

"Yes, well, you're not supposed to throw crumbs in the glass." Draco spelled the glass clean, before sitting down, near Sirius. "Why are you acting like this?" 

Sirius snorted. "I thought Slytherins went for the subtle approach and not the 'bull by the horn' attitude." 

"Usually, but I don't have time for subtle. There will be many people in this room , most of whom despise my father, and whom are hated by father. I'm not too fond of some of them, and the feeling is mutual. We still haven't told Father about you. Mother hasn't seen her sister in decades." Draco shook his head. "Sorry, but I have enough to worry about without starting a Machiavellian game with you. So what happened since we spoke, two hours ago?" 

Sirius raised a shoulder, shrugging off the question. "I was thinking..." 

"I'm well aware that thinking is considered an illness by Gryffindors -Granger being the exception, - however, I don't see how that is making you act like a spoiled child," Draco said. 

Draco remained stern even as Sirius began to laugh. "You think I'm a spoiled child? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?" 

Draco nodded. "Yes, I have, and I look mighty fine, if I do say so myself." 

"You do, indeed" Sirius said, mocking Draco gently, but Draco kept staring at him, waiting for an answer to his original question. "I don't know...I guess this party makes me nervous as well. I have so many unresolved problems, so many secrets that I've carried for so long. It was easy to protect those secrets when the people in my life could be neatly separated: my family, my friends, my associates. Now throw everyone together and it's like a bomb waiting to happen." 

"You've always been so self-centred," Narcissa proclaimed from the door. She walked inside, her dark red robe dancing around her as she moved. She kissed Draco's cheek before taking a seat. "Sirius, dear, do you know how many people will hate each other tonight? I doubt they will focus on you." 

"Voilá!" Draco accentuated the expression with a wave of his hand toward Narcissa. "Mother has solved everything. There won't be a bomb, but a series of explosions, and the important part will be to foresee them, and move away in time." 

Sirius laughed. "We've just turned a dinner party into a war." 

"It won't be too far from the truth." Severus Snape, clad in predictable black, followed a house-elf into the room. "Black, Draco." He kissed Narcissa's hand. "You look beautiful as always, Narcissa." 

"Thank you, darling." She smiled at Severus. "Maybe we ought to move to the sitting room, and wait there for our guests." 

"Are you afraid to have them too close to the knives?" Severus suggested with the ghost of a smile on his lips. 

Narcissa laughed. "Well, there is that, but I thought I'd be the polite hostess before the metaphorical knives started to fly." 

"Speaking of knives, where is your husband?" Severus asked. 

Narcissa's hands went to her chest. "Are you implying that my husband is dangerous? I am shocked." 

"I'm not implying, Narcissa; I am saying it straight out, and you still haven't answered my question." 

Narcissa looked at the door and sighed. "He shall be here soon." 

Draco narrowed his eyes, studying his mother. There was something wrong with her. "What are you hiding, Mother?" 

"I'm not hiding anything, but..." Narcissa looked at Sirius. "I might not have told him about you, yet." 

Sirius's eyes went comically wide. "What? You can't tell me it simply slipped your mind." 

"Well...I was busy, and it really didn't come up," Narcissa said tentatively. 

"I bet I know what came up," Severus commented with a chuckle. 

Draco groaned. "Don't want to hear it. And Mother, how could you? You've been in that room for four days. How could you not find two minutes to say 'oh, by the way, we have a houseguest'?" 

"We do?" Lucius asked casually, as he walked into the dining room. He froze when he saw Sirius sitting at the head of the table, in his seat. "He's dead," he finally said. Then he turned to Sirius. "Get off from my chair." 

"Yes, Father, let's focus on the important things." Draco got up from his chair and walked to his father. "Do you think I can say 'welcome home' now? I had hoped to maybe see you, since we live in the same house." 

Lucius put a hand on Draco's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "Thank you, but don't try to change the subject, Draco. Why do we have his ghost haunting us?" 

"He's not a ghost, and he's not haunting us, Father. Sirius is..." Draco turned his head and grinned at his cousin. "He's Sirius. He's unique, and we're not sure how to qualify him." 

"A pain in the arse?" Severus suggested. 

"Shut up, Snape. No one asked your opinion. In fact, we'll be much happier if you were never to speak again," Sirius snapped back. 

"You've started to refer to yourself with the pluralis majestatis, how cute. That's more conceited than your usual, Black," Severus responded, glaring at the Gryffindor. 

"I wasn't trying to be cute, you, miserable, poisonous, evil-" 

"All right, enough!" Draco's voice cut through Sirius's tirade like a knife slicing through stretched skin. "Why, in God's name, can't you two be in the same room for more than five minutes without insulting each other? You both worked together to help me, so I know that you're more than capable of doing so. If you're really intent on acting like children, could you do me the immense favour of waiting until after our guests leave, yes?" 

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Since you asked so politely..." 

Draco bowed slightly. "Thank you, Severus. Sirius?" 

"All right, all right, but just for you." 

"I appreciate it immensely." Draco turned back to his father. "I had hoped Mother would have explained the situation to you, but her brain has taken a vacation these past few days. However, the short story is that Sirius appeared recently at our house, and we're trying to learn why and how he can become human again. I've promised to help him, and in the mean time, he has graciously helped me preparing for your trial. Anything else will have to wait until after the party." 

"I do have one question," Lucius said, staring at Sirius for a brief moment, before looking at his son. "Have you always been so high-handed?" 

"I've learned from the best, Father." 

"Would that be Dumbledore?" Sirius teased with a smile. 

Draco looked at his cousin and grinned. "I meant my father, and no, the old goat would never give an order. He makes helpful suggestions that no one dares disobey." 

"I think that's very accurate, Mr. Malfoy, but I do resent the old goat." Albus Dumbledore stood at the threshold, eyes sparkling. "Narcissa, Lucius, it is very good of you to have us, but your house-elves seem reluctant to allow access to some of us." 

A house-elf cowered in a corner, looking from Draco to Lucius, but decided that Lucius was still the Master. "There is many people, Master, traitors, Weasleys, Mud-bloods, Master. There is Mistress's relatives, a werewolf, and even..." The house-elf blinked a few times, trying to hide the traces of fears behind the nervous tears. "Even Harry Potter," he said finally. 

"Yes, quite the assortment we have tonight," Lucius said with a sneer. "Let them in." 

The house-elf nodded, before disappearing. 

Draco walked behind Sirius, and pressed closer so that he could whisper, "We'll count the silverware before they leave," he said in a faux snotty tone, earning a laugh from the other man. However, he didn't move away, instead his hand stayed on Sirius's shoulder as his body rested partly against Sirius's. 

The voices grew louder as their guests got closer. Near the front, Draco saw Tonks talking to a woman who had to be his aunt. He looked around to see if he could spot Andromeda's husband, but there was no sign of the Muggle-born. 

By design or coincidence Draco didn't know, but Andromeda was the first to enter. She stared at her sister, neither saying a word. Tonks pushed in front of her mother, and hugged her aunt. "Hullo, aunt Narcissa." 

"Hello, dear." Narcissa answered automatically, but her eyes were on her sister. "It's good to have you here." She finally looked at her niece and smiled. "If you let go, Nymphadora, I can greet the rest of my guests." 

"Yes, sorry, of course." Tonks stepped back and grabbed her mother's arm, pulling her toward Narcissa. "Dad couldn't come because of work." 

"I'm sure we can meet him in the future," Narcissa said politely. She couldn't say that she was sorry. There was the potential for so many problems tonight without the added incognita of a brother-in-law that they had never met. 

"I'm surprised you wanted to meet this one time," Andromeda said. 

"I wasn't the one to push you away, Andromeda," Narcissa answered. Her back was erect, her head high, and the tension shooting through her body. She was willing to make peace, but she refused to take the blame for problems that her sister and her parents had. 

"No, you're right. It was our parents' decision, a decision that we could have remedied, but we haven't... until now, and you were the one to make the first step, so I guess I shouldn't complain so much." 

Narcissa smiled brightly. "I'm glad you're here. I don't think you've officially met my husband yet." 

Lucius and Andromeda had known each other when younger. It was inevitable in their circle. However, Andromeda had cut all ties with their family by the time Narcissa had gotten engaged. "Lucius, it's good to see you again." 

"Andromeda, it's a pleasure." Lucius kissed her hand. 

She looked at her brother-in-law and grinned. "You're still a good liar." 

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you're thrilled to see me." 

"Touché, although I do want to meet my nephew," she replied. Then she looked around. There was no mistaking Draco. His resemblance with Lucius was uncanny, but the sight of Sirius, standing there, took precedence. "Oh God, Sirius, Nymphadora told me, but I couldn't believe it." She walked toward him, and hugged him. "You feel so...so..." 

"So alive?" He kissed her cheek, before pulling back, still holding her hands. "You look spectacular as always, and this..." Sirius waved toward Draco. "This is Draco." 

"How do you do." Like his father, Draco kissed his aunt's hand. 

"He's polite, but he's a snake," Sirius murmured, but made a face at Draco, knowing that he had spoken loud enough to be heard. 

"That's because I've had to deal with Sirius," Draco deadpanned. "One, two, three," he whispered. 

"What are you doing?" Andromeda asked with a frown. 

"Counting how long it takes before one of our brave Gryffindors speaks up in Sirius's defence. I'm impressed with their control tonight," Draco confessed. 

"You're impossible," Sirius answered, but he was chuckling. 

"Are you lying to impress your relatives, Malfoy?" came Ron's voice as he walked closer with Harry at his side. 

Draco gave Sirius a 'I told you so' look. "Weasley, I can't even begin to express how I feel about having you here. However, I must thank you for your mundane predictability." 

"If you have something to say, just spit it out, Malfoy." 

Not for the first time, Draco thought that it wasn't Weasley's fault if he couldn't think. No, it was some physiological factor that diverted his blood from his brain to the rest of his body to give that overall Gryffindor red blush. "I just said what I had to say, Weasley, but I'll explain it to you later, if you wish." 

Sirius walked in front of Draco, cutting his line of sight. "Ron, it's so good to see you." He shook Ron's hand while winking at Harry. "Hello, Harry. Have you met Andromeda already?" 

"Not officially. It's a pleasure to meet Sirius's favourite cousin," Harry said, shaking Andromeda's hand. 

"Not hard considering who his relatives are," Ron murmured. 

Andromeda smiled at Harry. "Mr. Potter is very good to meet you. My daughter told me so much about you, all of you." She stared at Ron. "You must be Ron. Strangely, I used to watch Arthur and Lucius bickering just like you and Draco." 

"This isn't bickering. This is Weasley being his usual self." Draco sneered at Ron. 

"Yes, your father was much quicker with the wand," Andromeda admitted. 

"And look what that got him." Sirius looked over at Lucius, who was talking to Dumbledore, Shacklebolt, and Snape. He was a good actor, appearing relaxed and at ease, but Sirius recognised the sense of claustrophobia, the need to see the sky and to feel the wind breeze against your skin until it was numb. "The past two years can't have been easy." 

"He'll survive; he's strong." Draco's hand rested briefly on Sirius's back. Potter and his sidekick missed the gesture but he saw his aunt looking at him with curiosity. "You have." 

"I'm not the paradigm of sanity to which you want to compare your father." Sirius's voice balanced on the edge of teasing and seriousness. 

"You seem to be doing fine, and you are assuming that either of you was sane before going to Azkaban." This time, Draco's hand stayed on Sirius's shoulder, and he squeezed gently. 

"I can't vouch for your father, but I assure you that I was completely mad. I even made a flying motorbike," Sirius said proudly. 

"I'm impressed," Draco remarked. 

"Must have been a hit with the ladies," Andromeda commented. 

"I would have used it for the men," Draco answered with a glint in his eyes. "Heterosexuality is so overrated." 

"So you really are a poof, and maybe those rumours about you and Snape..." Ron trailed off, leaving the rest hanging in the air like a bomb ready to explode. 

"Severus and I are good friends, nothing else." Draco took a step forward, ignoring his promise to behave. "Talk all you want, Weasel, but you make one negative comment about my sexuality, and I swear you'll be in so much pain that you'll regret the day you were born, and when I'm done with you, I reckon there would be a few people in line to show their displeasure with such comments." 

Draco turned abruptly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He relaxed when he saw that it was Sirius. "You might want to keep it down." Sirius looked at Lucius. "Your father doesn't know yet." 

"I'm not hiding from him, Sirius. This is who I am, and I will not go back into the closet to please him." Draco looked at his father who was still talking to Severus. "Besides, it's not like he doesn't know any gay people." 

"You might want to listen to Sirius, Draco. It's always different when it comes to your own children," Andromeda suggested. 

"What are you complotting?" Narcissa asked as she approached the group. 

"The best way to tell Father about my sexual preferences," Draco answered. 

"The best way is not tonight. You and your father will have plenty of opportunities, and he deserves the chance to speak to you alone." 

"If I can wrestle him from you," Draco drawled out. 

"I'll grant you a few moments with him. Now, why don't we sit down and have supper?" 

Sirius offered his arm to Narcissa and she took it graciously. "That sounds smart. Conversation will be at a minimum if they stuff their mouths." 

Draco chuckled. "Should I even comment or should we assumed that I remarked and leave it at that?" 

"Comment about what?" Sirius asked with a frown. 

"Oh, I don't know... mouths, stuffing..." Draco was surprised to hear Harry laugh. 

"Are you encouraging him?" Sirius asked Harry. 

"You have to admit that he has a point," Harry answered, grinning. 

"And they are teenagers. Anything will make them think of sex. You make it a little easier for them, Sirius." Andromeda barely contained her own smile, while she winked at Draco. "However, food sounds perfect." 

"May I escort you to the table?" Draco asked his aunt. 

"Will you say the magic word?" 

Draco looked confused. "I do not understand. Am I supposed to cast a spell?" 

"Malfoy, you've really been sheltered," Harry commented. 

"It's a Muggle expression," Sirius explained. "The magic word is please." 

"Although I mean 'aunt'," Andromeda finished. 

"I certainly will, aunt Andromeda. However for future reference, Muggles and I have happily kept our distances. In fact, Muggle-born and I have rarely spoken unless trading insults. So assume that I have no idea to what you're referring." 

"You mean that I have to assume that you are your parents' son." Andromeda took Draco's arm, and they followed Sirius and Narcissa to the table. Harry and Ron followed as well. "I promise to keep Muggle references to a minimum." 

"Thank you, Aunt." 

"At least until I can teach you about them," she said slyly. 

Draco glared at her, but then his expression softened. "Blood ties will only get you so far." 

"Draco, dear, I stopped believing in blood ties long ago, but you changed that." Her gaze travelled through the room. Lucius was still talking to Shacklebolt and Dumbledore, and her daughter had joined them. Severus was talking to Longbottom and Granger. Lupin had moved away from Severus's group and joined Potter and Weasley. "When Nymphadora told me that you asked this group, this very heterogeneous group, for help, I knew that you were different. Your father would have died rather than turn to people with such... varied background and lineage. You might look like Lucius, but you aren't him. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." 

"Did you know Father well?" 

Andromeda nodded. "I was in school with him, a few years older. One day, come to my house, and I'll tell you a few stories about your father. You can use it as blackmail," she whispered to him. 

Draco pulled the chair out for his aunt. "I will. Blackmail material is always valuable," he said, smirking. "But thank you... for coming over. I know it means a lot to Mother." 

"It means a lot to me as well." She patted his arm. "Now, go sit before everyone decides to eavesdrop." 

Draco smiled, and went to take his seat near his mother, who was sitting at one end of the table. Sirius sat next to Draco, while Severus sat straight in front of him. His father sat at the other end with Dumbledore and Andromeda on each side. 

His mother had to be some kind of strategist because there was no way that the seating had been random. On Draco's left, sat Sirius, Potter, Granger, Shacklebolt, and finally Dumbledore. To Severus's right, there were Lupin, Weasley, Longbottom, Tonks and his aunt Andromeda. 

The seating could efficiently defuse many potential problems. Although Sirius, Lupin and Severus sitting so close together was troublesome at best. Draco wondered why his mother hadn't switched Severus and Andromeda's seats. 

When the food appeared, they ate in silence; the clatter of the plates and silverware was the only noise in the room. Sirius was the only one who wasn't eating. Instead, he spent his time observing the people at the table. "Well...this is different," he proclaimed at last. 

"We aren't reaching for our wands," Ron suggested. 

"That too, but I meant we aren't insulting each other." Sirius nodded happily. "It's nice." 

"It's the whole 'stuffed mouths' theory," Draco told him with a smirk. 

Harry bit his lip to stop from laughing. "Whatever it is, it's nice, and it's nice to be around so many friends. We haven't been all together since school ended." 

"If I recall, my last words to you, Potter, were 'I'm so happy to finally get rid of you that I could cry, if I were prone to such nonsense. If you ever show your face around here, I shall transform you into a porcupine and use your quills for my potions'. So why in Salazar's name do you still plague me with your presence?" 

"I th- think you're... you're wro- wrong, professor Snape," Longbottom said, his stutter gone unless he was addressing the Potions master. "I believer that's wh- what you told me." 

"You told Harry that you'd transform him into a snake and force him to become the Slytherin mascot," Hermione provided, helpfully. 

"Yes, I did," Severus drawled out, a dreamy look on his face, but then he scowled at Hermione. "After seven years, Ms. Granger, I had hoped that your annoying habit to provide answers for questions never posed to you had ended." 

"Now, Severus, Ms. Granger has been ,and will always be invaluable with her knowledge, intelligence, and willingness to learn." Albus smiled at the young woman, and then at the Potions master. "In fact, she reminds me of you." 

Lucius almost choked on the water he was drinking. "Dumbledore, did you just compare Severus to a ... a...." 

"Muggle-born," Draco suggested before his father could insult Granger. Not that he cared about her feelings, but her brief to the Wizengamot had been invaluable, and one never knew when one might need help again. 

"Yes, a Muggle-born." Lucius repeated the words cautiously, as if he were concerned that they could poison him. 

"Ms. Granger is remarkable. She has been the best student during her stay at Hogwarts. You know how good Severus is. Not only is he a talented potions maker, but also he excels in other areas. Even Sirius remarked a few times about Severus's skills, did you not?" he ended, addressing the Gryffindor. However, he didn't have the chance to answer because Weasley interrupted. 

"Oh yes, I believe he was impressed with the fact that in his first year the professor knew more Dark curses than a seventh year." Weasley's tone indicated that he was still suspicious of Severus, but Draco knew that it would never end, just like his father and Arthur Weasley would never be able to be in the same room without cursing, verbally and magically, each other. 

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Weasley, try engaging your brain for once in your life. How would he have known what Dark curses a seventh year knew? In fact, how would he know that they were Dark curses?" 

"Unless, of course, he knew them, too," Draco answered. "Your parents would have never placed wards to allow you to practice underage magic, and to prevent the Ministry from detecting Dark magic, would they, Sirius?" 

"No, certainly not," Sirius replied, shaking his head, but grinning at the same time. "I swear it on Voldemort's soul." 

Harry snorted. "Careful, there, we wouldn't want to damn his soul. May he rot in hell." 

"How did you kill him?" All eyes turned on Lucius. Everyone knew that one shouldn't ask that question, but two years in Azkaban had deprived Lucius of common knowledge. Even if he had known, Lucius Malfoy was not a common person and common rules didn't apply to him. 

Harry stared at his host for a moment, debating if he ought to answer or not, but then most people in the room already knew. "Hermione found an old spell that allowed me to trap his power in my body. Professor Snape created the potion I needed to get my body ready for its task. Ron helped me discover where Voldemort was hiding. I went to his house, and cast the spell, but I wasn't strong enough. I would be dead if Draco hadn't told the Headmaster where I was. The Headmaster found me in time, and with his help, I was able to harness Voldemort's power long enough to kill him. As you can see, it was a group effort, and I owe your son more than he's willing to admit, and now, I'm even more in debt for the help he's giving Sirius." 

"I'm not helping Sirius because of you. In fact, I wasn't even helping you with the Dark Lord. I chose between the lesser of two evils." Draco snorted. "I would have happily watched you die under different circumstances." 

Neville snorted. He ignored the strange looks he was receiving from his friends as he spoke. "No, you wouldn't. The conflict among you, Harry, and Ron was too personal for them to see that you never tried to hurt us. You tried to embarrass us, get us in trouble, but you never tried to hurt us." 

"That's because I'd be expelled for hurting a Gryffindor." Draco would never let them think that he wasn't capable of hurting them, although he never cared enough to see them truly hurt. Physical pain was so bourgeois. "Of course, nothing ever happened when a Gryffindor hurt a Slytherin." 

"Do you truly think that?" Dumbledore asked. "Don't you think they would have been punished if they had hurt you?" 

Draco and Severus snorted at the same time. "Let's not start this discussion, Albus. Draco is right; there have been blatant examples during his stay at Hogwarts. However that has been the policy since I was in school, unless we don't count attempted murder as trying to hurt someone." 

"Severus, how many times shall we revisit that night? Sirius didn't think-" 

"No, Albus. He's right, and I was wrong. True, I hadn't thought about all the consequences, but I wanted to hurt him. I should have been punished, as I should have on other occasions, and I'm truly sorry for everything I did." 

Severus blinked, unable to find the words. Of course, that was only a temporary inconvenience. "Are you apologising to me? What devious plan do you have in mind? What do you need from me? Is a potion involved in your return to normal?" 

Sirius shook his head. "I don't need anything, and there is no plan. In the past weeks, I've had a few discussions that helped me understand a couple of things. I am sorry, Snape, and if you'd like, we can sit down when you want, and I'll give you the explanation I should have given you two decades ago." 

Severus scrutinised the other man, hoping to find a sign that would show him where the danger was hidden. "Are you asking me to trust you?" 

"I am saying that we should end what I started long ago. Remus, you should be there as well since I did put you at risk, even though I truly never meant to hurt you. I could never." 

"I know, Sirius. I can't say that I ever understood what happened, but I'd like to know. " Remus turned to Severus, covering the Slytherin's hand with his. "Severus?" 

The potions master sighed. "Very well, but if it's another of your tricks, I will find a way to make you disappear forever." 

"No tricks, Snape." 

Lucius sipped the water carefully, and then put his glass down, eyeing everyone around him. "What has happened in the past two years? Everyone is so..." 

"Tooth-achingly sweet?" Draco suggested. 

"Maddeningly reasonable?" Sirius helped. 

"Infuriatingly complacent?" Severus added. 

"Annoyingly friendly?" Andromeda chipped in, hiding a smile, as she looked at her sister. 

"Stop it, all of you," Narcissa said, hiding her own grin. "You're scaring Lucius. He might think that we usually are like this. Dear, I assure that it's temporary insanity due to starvation. We usually insult each other to our heart's content." 

"Especially some of us. Isn't that true, Weasley?" Draco said. 

"Sod off, Malfoy," Ron answered without even thinking. 

"Much better, Mr. Weasley." Lucius took a deep breath. "It's good to see that some things do not change. After all these friendly feelings, I might need to see your father. Nothing helps like a good verbal sparring." 

"As long as you leave the wand in your cane, because I'll be busy the next few weeks, and I can't get you out of Azkaban, again," Draco commented. 

"You are helping Crabbe and Goyle, are you not?" Shacklebolt asked. 

"Yes, I am. I promised Madam Bones that I would, and I owe Greg and Vince. I'm still not sure how I will be allowed to represent them, but Madam Bones suggested that there might be a precedent for me to represent them even without having the proper license." 

"Oh joy, more research," Harry muttered. 

"I can help if you wish," Hermione said. 

"Granger, I might kiss you for that," Draco answered without thinking. 

Hermione laughed. "Why don't we settle with using first names?" 

Draco nodded. "I believe I can manage that, Hermione." 

"Then, it's settled. I'll go to the Ministry tomorrow, and check the Wizengamot's decisions for the past five centuries. That ought to be enough, I believe, but I'll speak to Madam Bones, in case I should go further back." 

Ron frowned. "Why are you doing this? You remember that they were trying to kill us, right?" 

"They weren't interested in you, Weasley. They were looking for the prophecy, and Potter," Lucius answered. 

"Besides, if they are anything like Greg and Vince, I doubt they were interested in following Voldemort," Draco peeped in. 

"Then, why were they there?" Neville asked. 

"Because people will do all sorts of things to be accepted by their friends," Remus answered. "Sometimes, even against their better judgment. I believe that's what Draco is suggesting, is it not?" 

"And Draco isn't wrong," Lucius commented. 

"If you need our help, Draco..." Harry looked at his once rival from above the rim of his glasses. He let the words sink in, and waited for an answer. 

When Draco answered, however, it wasn't what Harry was expecting. "When did you start calling me by my first name?" 

Harry smiled, knowing that it was acceptance of his offer. "I assumed that what goes for Hermione goes for the rest of us." 

Draco rolled his eyes. "Right, I forgot that Gryffindors can't do anything by themselves. If Gran- Hermione's help is contingent on yours and Weas- Ron's, then I accept it... under duress." 

"You're a real saint, Draco," Neville said. 

Sirius sat back, watching the quick exchanges between the younger people. He wasn't the only one. The older generation seemed happy to sit back and enjoy the friendly, yet witty, exchanges that continued through their meal. He didn't think his generation could have done it without escalating into a fight. Hopefully, they would get to the same point where these young men and women already were. For now, he was happy to see his family, and friends sit at the same table.

* * *

After everyone had left, Lucius and Narcissa had not so subtly informed Draco and Sirius that they didn't want to be disturbed. Therefore, Draco wasn't surprised when Sirius followed him into his bedroom. "This qualifies as the strangest night of my life," Draco proclaimed as he walked in front of his standing mirror and began unbuttoning his robe. 

"Here, let me." Sirius walked in front of Draco and continued the job, deftly opening the robe. "I've had stranger nights in my life, but this qualifies as the most pleasant of them. It was great to see Andromeda again, and Harry...he actually 'likes' you." 

Draco had noticed how Sirius's fingers lingered a little too long on his skin as each button was opened. He also didn't miss how Sirius had paused when talking about Harry. "Is this your way of asking me something?" 

"No, of course not," Sirius answered a little too quickly. 

"You really aren't any good at lying, Sirius." Draco raised his eyes, and stared at the other man. "I shall admit that I don't want him dead, and of course, I would never repeat it in public, but I feel nothing for him, if that's what you're asking. He's crude, ignorant of our ways, and can't dress to save his life. Add to that the fact that he's straight and very much involved with Luna Lovegood, and I'd say that you have nothing to worry about." 

"I wasn't worried," Sirius said. 

"Of course not. I meant if you were, you shouldn't be," Draco said pointedly. Then, he covered Sirius's hand, stopping the other man. "I know I said I wouldn't push, but stay with me tonight. I know you don't need to sleep, but I've seen you lying in bed at times." 

"It makes me feel human. I even shower in the morning, but the water washes over my clothes and me. It's a strange sensation, but I still do it. It's stupid, I know..." 

Draco shook his head. "It's not stupid. I think it's normal to want that to which we're accustomed. If you'd like to stay...I promise not to-" His fingers traced Sirius's jaw slowly, no trace of beard regardless of the time. He had to have been cleanly shaved when he had gone to the Ministry, Draco reasoned. "I'm not sure what I'm promising. Everything is so uncertain, and yet at times, I forget that you're not a regular wizard." 

"I know; I feel the same. Sometimes, I'm walking around, thinking of something, and after days of being 'solid', I start believing that there isn't anything wrong, and then I'm not paying attention and I walk through a wall or a piece of furniture. It's eerie." 

Draco hooked his fingers through the belt loops of Sirius's jeans. It was so difficult to remember that Sirius was not human when he could feel the firm body under his hands. "You didn't answer my question or is your silence my answer?" 

"I don't... I don't want to raise your hopes up, Draco. I might never be normal again, and even if I will be, we don't know what will happen. I'm still a wanted man, and I need to take care of that before I can start my life again." 

"I know, Sirius. I understand all of that, and you wouldn't be raising my hopes up. I'm a pragmatist. Living seven years in a school with Harry Potter is good for crushing any ambition you might have. I learned to take what I can get, and right now, I'd like to have you in my bed, for no purpose other than to have you close." Draco had to go on his toes to reach Sirius's lips, as he gently pressed his against the other man's. "Stay with me." 

"All right, but I..." 

Draco brought his fingers to Sirius's lips. "Shh, I don't need an explanation or a warning or anything else." 

Sirius didn't speak; instead, he finished his job, pushing the robe off of Draco's shoulders and letting it pool on the floor. He stepped closer and laid a trail of kisses from shoulder to neck. "There is something to be said about robes," he murmured between kisses. 

"Much easier to get naked." Draco was still gripping Sirius's jeans, but after a moment, he stepped away. "We ought to get some rest." 

Sirius frowned. "Did I do something wrong?" 

Draco shook his head. "No, of course not, but you'd better stop now, unless you're ready to find out what can happen." 

"Ah! Yes, this would go against the going slow agreement, although the fact that I can't take my clothes off ought to help us." 

"But I'm not interested in spending the night hard." Draco stepped out of his robe, toed off his shoes, and took his socks off while walking toward the bed. He sat on the bed and pushed the covers on the other side for Sirius. "I've never slept with someone. I've had sex, but never spent the night with someone." 

"I used to, with James." Sirius got into the bed, and gave Draco an apologetic shrug when he couldn't take his shoes off. He settled on one side of the bed, but Draco soon moved closer, throwing an arm around his waist. 

"I thought Potter was straight." Draco's lips brushed against Sirius's neck as he talked. 

"Yes, he was, and even if he weren't, we were much too close for anything romantic to develop." Sirius stared blankly at the ceiling. It was much easier to talk about the past without having to look at Draco, almost getting lost in the memories. "We were friends, more than friends. We were what brothers ought to be. We were inseparable. His parents gave me my own room when I moved in with them, but we ended up in the same bed every night, talking until the wee hours of the night." 

Draco drew back to look at Sirius. "You miss him." 

"More than life itself." Sirius finally locked gaze with Draco and attempted a weak smile. "And I think I'm qualified to say that. But honestly, I started missing him when he began dating Lily. God, I felt like part of me had been cut off when he started to spend all of his time with her. Sometimes, I think I would have never sent Snape after Remus if James and I were still as close as we used to be." 

"Are you sure it was only friendship?" Draco asked softly, his fingers raking the short black hair that never changed style. "Sounds to me like you loved him." 

"Oh, I did, but not in a sexual way. You have to understand how I felt. I grew up in a Slytherin family. When I was sorted in Gryffindor, I lost some of my childhood friends, but I still had some. Then my family disowned me, and I had no one, no connections, and no history. I had no one but James. He and Lily started dating only a month after we returned from school. He was my friend, my family, my anchor to life, and I wasn't ready to share him with anyone." 

"Do you ever regret leaving your family?" 

Sirius heard the curiosity in Draco's voice. He wondered what story had been spun to justify the fact that they had disowned him. No matter what his parents had said, the polite refusal to discuss such a shameful subject probably had served to enlarge it, make it worse. Not that it mattered in the end. Unlike what he and James had told everyone, he hadn't had any say in the matter. 

"I didn't leave, Draco. I wasn't exaggerating when I said that they disowned me for finding me with a boy." Sirius's eyes went back to the ceiling. "I had no choice but to go. I stayed in contact with Regulus when we were in school, but we had to be careful because we didn't want anyone to tell our parents. He was afraid, and I didn't want to put him in danger. Maybe I ought to have done that; he might still be alive today. Sometimes I wonder if the Sorting Hat put me in the right house, or it was only a reaction to the fact that I didn't want to be in Slytherin." 

"What makes you say that? From everything I've heard you were the perfect Gryffindor, brave to the point of stupidity." While Draco spoke, he caressed Sirius, gentle fingers sliding from Sirius's scalp down to his neck and back up. It was a strange feeling for Sirius, an intimacy that he hadn't experienced since he was a teenager himself. 

"Never when there was something important at stake, though. I could have fought my parents, found a way to stay home, but it was easier to run away. I could have tried to convince Regulus not to join Voldemort, but again, it was easier to say that it was his choice, even though he was barely seventeen. I could have talked to James instead of taking my anger out on Snape." 

Sirius rolled to his side, until he was face to face with Draco. He wrapped his arm around the younger man. "Do you know what I regret most?" Draco shook his head, but didn't say anything. "I regret not having been brave enough to become James's Secret Keeper. My cowardice caused so much pain for everyone, me included. Even my death wouldn't have been as painful as...as my life has been since...since that night." 

"I'm so sorry." Draco slipped closer and tightened his grip, until both of them were almost breathless. "But your death wouldn't have been better." 

Sirius wasn't expecting this reaction from Draco. He felt the anguish coming from Draco, an anguished caused by thoughts of his death. Sirius tried to lighten the mood. "Is this the part where you tell me that everything has a purpose, and we have to keep fighting?" he asked, his voice light. 

Draco laughed out right. "You do remember I'm a Slytherin, right? That's crap that Dumbledore can sell to the Gryffindors." He loosened the embrace, but kissed Sirius's cheek before moving back a little. "I'm selfish to the core. Your death wouldn't have been better because I like having you here. Of course, there is the fact that you're still young and have a chance to enjoy the future. The Potters are dead, but you didn't kill them. Stop beating yourself up for what the Dark Lord did. And you know what else? I would have told you to stop beating yourself up even if you had killed them, because it's in the past, and there is nothing you can do to change it." 

"You know I thought about going back in time, use a time turner, and become James's Secret Keeper. The more I stayed in my parents' house, the more I saw it as the only solution. I could have saved them, Harry would have had his parents, and those Muggles would still be alive." 

"Don't you dare even say that again! Don't even think of it." 

Draco's entire demeanour changed before Sirius's very eyes. His face was hard and unforgiving, his eyes became tiny slits, glaring like cold jewels, his lips were a line of disappointment. For a moment, Sirius saw Lucius's ability to hurt others in Draco. "I couldn't even if I wanted. I still can't do any magic." 

Draco shook his head vigorously. "That's not good enough. Do you know what could happen? Do you even understand the danger in what you suggest? Let's play the 'if' game. What if you do become the Secret Keeper? What then? What if you get killed, and they still turn to Pettigrew? What if the Death Eaters can find the Potters regardless of the charm? No, even better, what if they don't find them? They could live their entire life, hidden away safely in their home, while Voldemort takes control of the wizarding world until there is no place to hide, no one to protect them. You don't know what would happen if you changed history, and the consequences would be staggering not just for you, or your friend, but also for everyone in England who was alive then, and who was born afterwards." 

Sirius nodded slowly. "I know...Well, I didn't... I mean I never thought about the potential outcomes. My main focus was saving James, but you're right, there is no guarantee that things would turn out better." 

"They could turn out much worse. Voldemort is gone for good, and we can't risk anything that would bring him back to life. Promise me you will not attempt it, Sirius." 

Sirius bit playfully Draco's index finger. "You point our finger like your grandfather, Narcissa's father, did when you're angry, and I promise. Now, turn off that light. I'm magically incapacitated at the moment." 

"We'll get your magic back, just like we'll get your life back." Draco Accioed his wand. "Nox!" As the light dimmed and then disappeared, he put the wand back on the nightstand. Sirius reached for him in the dark, and Draco rested his head on Sirius's chest and fell asleep without the reassuring heartbeat that ought to have been there.

* * *

"I think I liked it better when they were locked in their room," Draco whispered to Sirius as they sat at the table, having breakfast. The two were sitting at one end of the table, while Narcissa and Lucius had chosen to sit at the other end. 

"Give them some time. Your father has been out of Azkaban only for two week. Another week or so and they'll stop," Sirius reassured the younger man. 

"Another week or so of them constantly touching each other, and I might have to stub my eyes out." With a sigh, Draco put down his napkin. "If you don't have any objections, Sirius and I are going out." 

"No, dear, you go and have fun," Narcissa said, without hesitation. 

Draco turned to Sirius with a raised his eyebrows, the 'what a surprise' look clearly painted on his face. "We shall see you later." He pulled Sirius's shirt and nodded toward the door. "Let's run before they start again." 

Sirius smiled, but got up. Draco went straight for the door, but Sirius stopped at the other end of the table, and kissed Narcissa's cheek. "Try to have fun when we're not here. You're traumatising your son." 

Narcissa's crystalline laughter rang through the room. "I doubt that very much, but we always have fun." 

"Yes, we've noticed," Sirius said dryly, before breaking into a grin. 

"Do try to be more careful than you used to be, Bla- Sirius. I don't want my son to be suspected of harbouring a fugitive." Lucius barely looked at his wife's cousin. Help or no help, he wasn't as willing to forgive and forget as his wife and son seemed to be. 

Sirius rolled his eyes. Lucius would never use his first name without starting to say his last name. It was Lucius's way to remind him of their former antagonism, but Sirius was remarkably accepting of even more egregious comments thrown his way. He supposed that it had something to do with the veil, because after escaping from Azkaban, he would have decked Lucius for much less. 

Why he was still playing the name game was not a complete mystery to Sirius. He could have ignored it easily enough without getting upset, but in part, he suspected that Lucius was searching for a sense of normality, something of which he was guilty of, and if a simple name game could make them both feel better, why stop? "I will be more careful than you were. You have a good day, Mal-" Sirius gave the other man a fake smile. "Lucius." 

When he walked out of the room, Sirius found Draco, leaning against a wall, waiting for him. "All right, where are we going?" 

"I was thinking..." 

The sound of Draco's voice and the hesitancy told him that this would mean trouble for him. "Should I go with the most natural answer or take the bait?" 

"What is the most natural answer?" Draco asked with a smile. 

 

"That would be 'please, don't strain yourself'," Sirius answered with a grin. 

"No, I believe that's the childish answers. However, I'll spare you the agony of formulating another answer. I'd like to go to London, to your house. I want to see where you lived." 

"Jesus, Draco." Sirius rubbed his face. "I don't know...I'm not even sure if Dumbledore lifted the Fidelus Charm on the house." 

 

"He hasn't, I asked, but he did give me the information I need to see it. Please, Sirius?" 

"I don't understand why you want to see it. It's a horrible house, not like this. There is no light or warmth. It's...it's dreadful." 

Draco pushed himself off from the wall, and rested his hands on the waistline of Sirius's jeans. "I don't care about which house is better. I want to see where you grew up, and that house is part of my history as well. Aunt Andromeda was talking about spending time there when you were kids, and how you would all play together. I'd like to see it." 

Sirius knew that Draco wouldn't overreact if he said 'no', but then Draco would start speaking in monosyllables, playing the hurt boyfriend (and Sirius didn't want to even think about the implication of that), until Sirius would give in. It was much easier to give in now than to go after having spent a day with Lucius Malfoy as company. "I still think it's a bad idea, but all right. Don't expect much, though, all right?" 

"I'm not expecting anything, so it's fine." Draco grinned, and Sirius knew he'd been conned again, but really didn't mind. 

"Okay, there is a dark alley at the end of Grimmauld Place. I have never seen anyone go in there. I think someone in our family spelled it so that Muggles wouldn't notice it. You can Apparate there and we'll walk to the house." 

Before he could say more, Sirius heard the recognisable 'pop' sound right before Draco disappeared. The annoying brat was still trying to beat Sirius when it came to travelling, but try as he may, Sirius would always get there first. They weren't sure why, but Sirius would just 'be' where he was supposed to go, with no effort required on his part. As usual, when Draco materialised in the alley, Sirius was there, waiting for him. "Bloody hell, how do you do that?" 

Sirius shrugged. "Don't know. I'm just good, I guess." 

"Do you take a special lesson when you become a Gryffindor? No, I'm really curious, because you all seem able to spew out bullshit with no hesitation. And everyone is always complaining about the Slytherins." Draco snorted. "At least we lie only when it's advantageous to us, not for every little stupid thing." 

"Piss off," Sirius answered good-naturedly. "Do you want to see this house or not?" 

"Of course, I do." Draco walked toward the exit of the alley when he felt Sirius pull his clothes. "What now?" 

"You might want to cast a spell. You know, since Muggles don't wear robes." 

"Right, damn, I forget they wear those uncomfortable things." Draco shivered, but cast a glamour spell on his clothes. 

"You just like the fact that you can flip the robes up and have sex," Sirius joked. 

 

Draco turned to him, his eyes glinting. "You bet your pureblood arse. You don't even have to wear underwear beneath them, and no one will ever know until you pull them up. Stop wasting time, and show me your humble abode." 

They walked on Grimmauld Place. When they reached the house, Draco concentrated on the address Dumbledore had given him, and the Black house ballooned in between number 11 and number 13. 

Draco looked around, making sure that no Muggles were watching them, before tapping the snake shaped door handle with his wand. "Nice design," he muttered as he stepped in the cavernous hall. He closed the door and magically locked it. He heard a hiss before the gas lamps cast a feeble light over the room. He noticed that the chandelier and the candelabra had the shape of serpents. "I thought my father was obsessed, but this?" He sniggered. "I can see Mother having a fit over the interior decorating." 

"Shh, don't make any noise," Sirius whispered. "This certainly isn't the most welcoming home. Now, follow me and don't touch anything. I don't know how many magical creatures live here now. We were cleaning when I...you know..." 

"When you took a little vacation on the other side of the veil?" Draco looked around the hallway. There didn't seem to be anyone there. "And why are we whispering?" 

Sirius pointed to a curtain. "My mother's painting. She will...insult anyone." 

"Really?" Draco asked pointedly. "I don't see why she should insult me." 

"Did you really come here to reason with a portrait?" 

"No, I came here to see where you grew up. Talking to your mother would give me great insight, wouldn't it?" 

"Talking to the portrait of a woman who died when you were five, and by then she wasn't too sane, shan't give you anything. By then, Regulus had died, and I was in Azkaban. No, I think there was nothing good left of my mother when they made that portrait, not that good is a word that ever applied to Mother." Sirius took Draco's hand. "Let me show you upstairs." 

Draco followed silently, looking at the house. Anyone could have seen that this was not a welcoming place for a child. Even without the cobwebs, dust and mildew, there was nothing comforting around. 

The stern portraits on the walls stared at them with disgust and annoyance. The old wood creaked under their steps. The stairway wall was covered with heads of house-elves, and Draco didn't want to think how they came to lose their head. "Is that a troll's leg? There, that umbrella stand?" he said, climbing the stairs, but still looking at the horrid stand. 

"Shh, and yes, it is. Grandfather killed the troll and severed his leg. Father was so very proud of that thing." Sirius shivered. "I can't believe no one got rid of that thing." 

"Great-grandfather had a morbid taste if I might say so." 

"The entire family did. Well, accept uncle Alphard, he was pretty normal, but he never did marry, left me some money when he died, and since I didn't have a knut in my name, I was pretty happy about it. Not a great thing to say, I'm afraid. I later learned that he was wiped out from the family tree for 'betraying' the family by conniving with the enemy, aka me." 

"Your mother's generation was insane, but your generation didn't turn out half bad, though. Mother would certainly not stand for any of this, and I doubt aunt Andromeda collects house-elves' heads. Aunt Bella's house, on the other hand, resembled this one, or at least so I've heard. I've never been there. Mother wouldn't let me go in there." 

"Smart woman your mother. God only knows what Bella had in that house." Sirius opened the door to the drawing room. "We won't go into every room. I still don't know which ones they cleaned. In the basement, there is the kitchen and pantry. On the ground floor, it's the great hall and the library. That's where the Order used to meet. Up here, there is this and Regulus's old bedroom." 

Draco walked around the room, but his eyes went immediately to the tapestry with the Black family tree. The tapestry hung on the far wall. He walked to it, and his fingers hovered over it. "The Most Noble and Ancient House, Toujour Pur...and it soon will die, won't it? We've been so fixated with blood purity that the old families are dying out. Not that I'm about to have a child any time soon." 

"Considering the harm our family has caused maybe it's not a bad thing," Sirius commented. 

Draco didn't answer, but continued his discovery through the room. "You're in none of these pictures. We ought to remedy the situation." 

"I don't care." 

"But you should. Eventually you'll want to live here, won't you? I mean I know it looks dreadful, but with some changes...It is still your house, whether you're willing to admit it or not." 

Sirius came to stand behind Draco, resting his chin on the younger man's shoulder as Draco passed his wand over the different objects, making sure they were safe. "Draco, this stopped being my house a long time ago." 

"Maybe you ought to make it yours once more. I couldn't understand how you kept the house. I mean you had been disowned. I spoke with Dumbledore, and he explained that since the house was unplottable, the Ministry never had any control over it, otherwise it would have gone to Mother, since aunt Andromeda had been disowned, and aunt Bella....This house was made unplottable so that it would stay in the family, so that the Ministry could never interfere with the line of succession. It's all done by magic. It's not something that your parents did, but something that goes back generations." 

"Are you tired of me?" Sirius asked with a frown. 

"Excuse me!" 

"Well, it sounds like you're trying to convince me to move here," Sirius remarked. 

"Would that be bad? You'd have a house, privacy..." Draco looked up, from under his eyelashes. "I could always help you make this house liveable again. It would take time, and I might be forced to spend some nights here. What the-" He found himself being pulled toward the stairs and to the upper floor. Sirius didn't say a single word, climbing the steps two at a time, until they were on the third floor, and Sirius pulled him into a bedroom. "What's going on?" Draco asked, breathless. 

"There is something I wanted to show you. The Weasley twins stayed in this room back in 95, but long ago, this was my room." Sirius pushed the chest of drawers aside, and knocked on the wall, making a satisfied face. "I was always afraid that they would find this. Not that there is anything bad, but it was... I don't know, it felt like this was the one place in the house that was mine." 

Draco shook his head. "You are making no sense, Sirius. What place?" 

"Here, bring your wand. Tap right here, then down on the left, here." Sirius pointed at the different sections of the wall. "Then up and right, and then back to the original starting point, like a diamond." 

"Should I say anything?" Draco said while tapping on the wall. 

"No, just hit the spots I told you." Sirius stood back, watching as a hole appeared inside the imaginary diamond that Draco had drawn. The hole became bigger and bigger until it transformed into a doorway. 

"Come on, follow me." Sirius walked inside the wall. Cobwebs adorned the tiny passage. "Light your wand. The hole will close promptly, and we shall be in the dark." No sooner had he said the word that the wall reappeared, throwing them temporarily in obscurity. 

They walked slowly. The passage was narrower than Sirius remembered, but then he had been only fourteen the last time he had been there. Still, they fit comfortably. The walls were slanted, and they leaned onto their right as they went down. Even the dirt couldn't hide the bright yellow paint on the wall. 

Then Sirius sat on the floor. "Come on. Don't dally. This is great.." 

"You want me to slide down? In this filth?" Draco ran a finger over the floor. "Look at this, there are layers and layers of dirt. And what is this? A slide made of... it's fluffy and are you sure it will support us?" 

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It will support us. Stop worrying, and it always reminded me of clouds. Your robe can be cleaned. Come down with me, please?" 

"Clouds? You're such a dreamer at times." Draco sighed, but sat at the edge. "It'd better be good." As fast as a blink, he felt Sirius sit behind him, legs on each side of Draco, holding him, and with a push from Sirius, they began sliding down. 

The slide had sharp twists and turns. They had to duck a few times, but they still were unsuccessful in avoiding some of the webs. However, despite the dust and the webs, there was a cheerful atmosphere in the tunnel. The paint on the wall was more colourful than a rainbow. Draco thought he heard birds chirping. The air smelled of spring fields and freedom. When they reached the end, Sirius helped him up with a huge smile. Sirius opened a small door, and they walked out into a garden. 

"Couldn't we have gone outside the normal way?" 

Sirius shook his head. "This isn't Grimmauld Place. I never learned where it was. See that house, that's where Neil lived." 

"Neil? I'm sorry, Sirius, but I'm having problems following you today." 

Sirius sat on the grass. He was pleasantly surprised when Draco sat next to him, their legs brushing against each other. "I discovered the hole when I was thirteen. I was home for the summer and bored out of my mind. So I investigated. When I came down here, I met Neil. He was my age, Muggle, and we became friends. . He never asked me how I got here. To Muggles, this is just an empty field in the middle of the city. They can't see the house. I know, because I was curious, and I tried looking for his house on Grimmauld Place and the houses behind it, but there was no sign." 

"Are we still in London?" 

"Yes. I know because he told me he went to school in London. Eventually he gave me his address, but I never used it. It was rather simple to meet this way. We wrote during the school year, and you don't know what a bitch it was to arrange for Muggle delivery." 

"Oh my god....the Muggle boy...the one you were kissing....it's Neil, isn't it?" 

Sirius nodded. "Yes, he was. It started as a game, after my fourth year. He had pot, I wanted to try it, he wanted something in return, I had nothing, and he asked for a kiss. I think that's what he wanted from the start. Of course, it was perfect for me. I got the pot, the kiss, and I could justify it internally that I had done it for the pot." 

"And how many joints did you smoke?" Draco said, laughing. 

"Not as many as the kisses I gave him. It became hard to ignore the fact that I enjoyed it when something else was getting hard at the same time." Sirius stared in front of him, at the empty lawn. 

"What happened, Sirius?" 

"What happened?...My father happened. I don't know how he found out about the hole. I bet that disgusting Kreacher told him, not that it really matters now. He arrived here, in his robe, grabbed me by my shirt, ignored Neil, and proceeded to tell me how he would kill me the moment we got home. He kicked me out instead, but I never saw Neil again. Poor kid probably thought that I was really dead." 

"You and death seem to have a long standing relationship," Draco said, trying to lighten the moment, but failing to find the right words. 

"Oh yes, it's been my most faithful partner." Sirius got up again, and needlessly wiped his jeans. "Let's go back inside." 

"Look, a family lives there. A little girl just came out." 

From inside the house, they heard the voice of a man. "Isis, put your jacket on that it's still cold outside." The man came outside with a pink jacket for the little girl. 

"Dad, look, there are men in the empty lawn." Isis stared at Sirius and Draco like the strangest thing had just happened. Of course, she had never seen anyone in that lawn. 

"Can I help you?" The man asked. 

"Let's find an excuse and go," Sirius murmured to Draco before taking a few steps toward father and child. 

Draco put his best smile on, the one that hid everything he was feeling, the one that was completely fake. "My cousin wanted to show me where he used to play as a kid, is that right, Sirius?" 

The man paled. "You're Sirius. Oh God, don't go..." He ran to the door, and opening it, yelled, "Neil, get your arse out here, and now." 

Sirius froze when he heard the name. It couldn't be, not after so many years, and yet, this man seemed to know of him. He felt grateful when he felt Draco move a little closer, in silent support, because at the moment, he doubted that he could even think. 

The man returned to the edge of the property. "I'm Robert, and this is our daughter, Isis. Neil has told me so much about you. He didn't think.... He never saw you again... It was more than a first boyfriend..." 

"Is she all right?" Neil asked, as he came down the steps, looking at Isis first. 

Robert turned when he heard his lover's voice. "Good, you're here," he said with relief. "And she's fine, honey, although I think I'm making an arse of myself with a friend of yours." 

Sirius looked upon the exchange in silence, but his whole body responded. His heart quickened, his breathing became more erratic. Too bad that it was all in his mind, because there were no outwards signs of change. However, his hand went behind him to find Draco's and the other wizard squeezed it tightly. 

Neil looked at the two men. It had been so long since he had seen anyone in that lawn, since that day when Sirius's father had shown up. Robert's next words had a surreal quality to them. "It's him... them...Sirius..." 

Neil's steps slowed down as he walked closer. He picked up Isis and finally approached Sirius, really looking now, watching for some familiar sign, but so much time had passed, and they were men, not children. "Sirius? I thought you were..." He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. 

"Yes, my father didn't actually kill me, but threw me out. I guess I should have tried to contact you, but I moved away, stayed with friends, I know it's no excuse..." He sounded so cold even to his own ears, but really what could he say. Disclosing that he was a wizard and all that had happened to him was out of the question. That's when he began to realise that he was holding on to a dream and not reality, and from there, the rest of the conversation didn't seem so bad. 

"Oh please, I'm sure you had other things to worry about, but it's good to see you." Neil still sounded like he had seen a ghost, not that it was far from the truth, but the Muggles would never know. 

Sirius smiled at the little girl that was staring at him, but then his eyes went back to Neil. He hadn't been able to stop looking since he had seen him. The first boyfriend, the person with whom he had shared his first kisses, and yet, he could feel nothing but warm nostalgia. "I see you have a wonderful family." 

"Thank you. We kind of named her 'Isis' because of you, the star...you know what I mean." Neil shook his head. "God, after all this time, it's so strange to see you. I always wondered, I assumed the worse since your father scared the sh-" 

"Neil..." Robert looked at Isis while warning his partner. 

"If it helps, he scared me as well, but he's dead, and I'm...I'm here, and I needed to put my past behind." Sirius felt Draco's hand release his and rest on his back, the touch gentler now that he was calmer. "Oh I'm sorry, I haven't introduced you. This is Draco." 

They all shook hands, and then Robert said, "Your family must really be into astrology." 

"Amongst other things," Draco answered with a smile. 

"Would you like to come inside?" Robert asked. 

"We ought to be going, really." Sirius smiled fondly at Neil. This morning, they both had found something that they needed: closure. Now, it was time to move on. He could feel it in his body. "It was very good to see you again. Robert, it was a pleasure. Bye, Isis." 

"If you're even in the neighbourhood, feel free to stop by," Neil said, but they all knew that it wouldn't happen. 

"Goodbye, everyone." Draco and Sirius walked toward the door and into the house. "Won't they question how we leave?" Draco murmured. 

"No, it's part of the charm. They see us walking into the distance, and disappear," Sirius answered. 

Draco squeezes Sirius's hand. "You can always come back if you chose." 

Sirius leaned down, resting his forehead against Draco's. "I know, but I won't. That time is gone, and Neil and I are little more than strangers, but I needed this. I can't explain it, but I feel... I don't know...It's the same feeling I got at the dinner, when your mother started speaking to Andromeda again. It's something inside, ephemeral, I'm not sure how to explain it." 

"Does it make you feel better?" Draco asked. 

Sirius nodded. "Yes, it does." 

"Then, it can't be bad, can it? We can talk about it later, see if it's connected to your task. For now, we have a bigger problem." 

"What's that?" Sirius asked, curious. 

"How do we slide up? There must be a way up this thing." 

Sirius laughed. "Yes, there is. Just sit down on the edge. Here, let's do it together." 

Like before, Draco sat between Sirius's legs, and after a moment, some magical force began to pull them, riding upwards, except this didn't look like it did on their way down. 

The space was narrower, if only slightly. The walls weren't slanted, but had a strange 'S' shape, and they had an oppressing charcoal colour, as opposed to the colourful way down. The cobwebs became thicker and oppressing as they stuck at the back of their head. Draco felt like he was suffocating as the air became thicker. He was glad when they reached the top. The wall opened by itself and spit them out violently. Sirius fell first, resting on his back. The hole spit Draco next, who fell, face first, right on top of Sirius. Draco started to laugh so hard that he couldn't move, until Sirius rolled him off. "What's wrong with you?" 

A few minutes passed before Draco stopped laughing. "'What a ride' has completely different meaning when you're involved." 

Sirius laughed, too. "You have a one track mind, Draco" 

Draco rolled back toward Sirius, a hand resting on Sirius's chest. "Are you glad we came?" 

"Yes, I am. Thank you for suggesting it." Sirius squeezed Draco's hand before bringing it to his lips and kissing Draco's fingertips. "I think you're right. I shall clean this house, rid it of every magical creature and make it mine again... or maybe for the first time. I'm not sure." 

"I think it's a marvellous idea, especially the cleaning. You do know how much I hate dust." 

"And I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable." Sirius rolled over until he covered Draco's body with his. "I do want you around. I enjoy being with you, and I don't want that to stop. I'd love it if you moved in with me." 

"Sirius, I'm... I'm honoured that you'd ask me, but aren't you going too fast? Let's clean the house, and then we can dis-" 

Sirius shut him up in the only way possible. He kissed Draco, slowly and thoroughly, his tongue moving gently over every nook and cranny of Draco's mouth, never letting up until he could feel the heavy nasal panting as Draco's lungs screamed for more oxygen. "I don't want to discuss anything," Sirius said. "I want you to think about the offer, and when the house is clean and creature-free, you can give me an answer, okay?" 

Draco nodded. He probably would have agreed to anything since his oxygen deprived brain could only focus on one thing: Sirius's lips. Cupping the back of Sirius's head, he pulled Sirius down for another kiss, and another, and yet another, until yelling from downstairs alerted them that someone had informed Mrs. Black of their presence. 

"The first thing I'm doing is burning that portrait." Sirius got up and helped Draco. "Let's get out of here. We can go have ice cream. You can tell me how good it tastes." 

"I will, but it can't taste as good as you." Draco gave Sirius a last kiss before they ran their way downstairs and past the portrait.

* * *

"We never see you anymore," Narcissa complained as they sat in the living room after dinner. It had been a full month after Lucius's release, and they seldom saw each other. Tonight, she had insisted that they spent the night together. 

The fireplace was alive with the logs burning, and their flames dancing in the hearth. Scented candles were spread around the room. The air was warm and cosy, almost festive, in sharp contrast with the freezing temperatures outside. 

"I've been busy, Mother. If you aren't aware, I finished two more hearings in front of the Wizengamot, and Mr. Goyle and Mr. Crabbe were both freed." Draco poured some cognac and handed the snifter to his father, before filling his own glass. "And then, there is Sirius's house...I swear I've never seen so many magical creatures in one place, not even Hogwarts." 

Lucius grinned as he held the glass in front of him. The light cut through the glass, casting an evil shadow on his face. "Kreacher might have helped with that." 

"I should have known," Sirius muttered. "Would you tell the useless house-elf to stop, please?" 

Lucius smelled the liquor before sipping it. Then, he looked at Sirius. "If you don't like him, you can always decapitate him and mount his head in the ever growing exhibits of the Black house." 

"Father, that's foul. Sirius isn't decapitating anyone. In fact, we got rid of those awful heads promptly." 

"You keep talking about this house like it's yours," Narcissa remarked casually, but both Sirius and Draco knew that she had picked up on what was happening between them. For all his arrogance, Lucius could be selectively blind, but Narcissa was more perceptive, and she possessed a keen sense of intuition. 

"I'm working hard to make it decent again. So, yes, you can say that I feel attached to it, and we do have a vested interest in the house. After all, it is a family house," Draco said neutrally. He knew that his father would like the answer, and the smirk on Lucius's face told him so. His mother was much harder to please, and she was still staring at him. 

"I still make the decisions about the house, Narcissa. Draco is simply helping." Sirius looked straight at his cousin, because he knew that he would give away most of his thoughts if he started to look at Draco. Of course, Draco never made things easy for him. The blond sat right next to Sirius, getting really close. However, he didn't not expect the next question. 

Draco pushed the snifter under Sirius's nose. "Can you smell it?" 

"Yes." The awe was evident in Sirius's voice. Smell was enhanced now that he couldn't eat or drink. That was torture in and of itself according to Sirius. 

"Let's see if you can taste it, too." Draco dipped his finger into the amber liquor, and brought the finger to Sirius's mouth. 

"You mean?" This certainly would not appease Narcissa's fears, but Draco seemed oblivious to her stare. Or maybe he was very good at ignoring all the double entendres that she had thrown their way through their meal. 

Draco stared straight at Sirius, almost challenging the other man. "See if you can taste it on my finger." 

Sirius knew better. He really did. He should have calmly, but firmly refused. However, he had never been one to do the smart thing. His tongue snaked out, twirling around Draco's index finger. Slowly he sucked the finger in, his lips sliding up and down the digit. His eyes stayed locked with Draco, never wavering. He could taste the brandy, but that wasn't want he sought, not when Draco was looking back with a hungry look on his face, when he was licking his pink lips 

Narcissa cleared her throat, making Sirius and Draco jump at the same time. "Does that mean that you can taste the cognac?" 

"Yes, it's...exciting to be able to taste something so delicious after so long," Sirius replied, looking at Draco with a grin on his face. 

"I'm certain, however, if you could stop 'experimenting', we have some news that we'd like to share with you." Narcissa leaned toward her husband, and took Lucius's hand. She looked at him, and smiled brightly. "I'm pregnant." Her hand went naturally to her stomach. "We will have another man in the house soon enough." 

"Will we?" Draco said coldly. "How very marvellous for you. Satisfy my curiosity if you will. How long did it take you to come up with this plan?" 

Lucius leaned forward, frowning at his son. "What are you saying, Draco?" 

"I'm saying that the Dark Lord picked the wrong people. He ought to have had Mother plan his strategy. I'm sure he would be controlling the wizarding world with her help." Draco scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "What you don't know, Father, is that I'm gay. I wasn't supposed to tell, not yet. 'Let's give your father time,' she said. What she didn't say was 'give me time and I'll give your father the heir he needs'. Isn't that right, Mother? All those discussion about the Black and the Malfoy lines dying out, that's what they were all about. Tell me, did you make sure that it is a boy? We wouldn't want to replace me with a girl. We need someone to carry the family name?" 

Narcissa got up calmly, and walked toward her son. Sirius could see the fury behind that faux composure. She stopped right in front of Draco, and without warning, she slapped her son, the noise echoing in the silent room. 

Draco cocked his head, refusing to acknowledge the blow. "What is it, Mother? You don't have to pretend to be the understanding mother anymore?" 

"I swear to God that I will hit you again if you don't stop, Draco. I don't know how you can even say these things. I've spent my life giving you what you asked for, doing what you wanted for one simple reason: because I love you." Narcissa took a deep breath and returned to the couch. 

Lucius wrapped a hand around her shoulder, and Narcissa smiled at him, but soon enough her attention was on her son again. "You don't know what it means to grow up in a pureblood family, Draco. You think we were strict? You don't know the meaning of strict. We've spoiled you since you were born, and this is how you thank us. You're a man, now. Soon enough you will be leading your own life, creating your own family. Is it so wrong of us to want another child?" 

"You wouldn't want a child if I had my own family, would you, now?" Draco looked stubbornly at his mother. 

"That's enough, Draco," Lucius cut in. "I doubt very much that your mother would have created another child solely because of your sexual preferences. Bringing up a child fills you with great joy, but it is also a great responsibility," he continued, "However, I see that you are not willing to listen to reason. If you're determined to act like a spoiled brat, you ought to leave, and return when you decide to engage your good sense again, because I won't have you upsetting your mother." 

"I think I know what is happening a lot better than you, Father," Draco answered, before storming out of the room. 

Sirius went after him, but stopped in front of Narcissa first. "He will be all right, Narcissa. As you said, you spoiled him rotten, and he is used to be the centre of attention in this house. Give him time." 

"Did you hear what he said, the things he accused me of having planned? How can he think that? He's our baby. I've done everything I could to shield him from...from every bad thing in our world." 

Sirius saw the tears forming in his cousin's eyes. He crouched in front of her. "He doesn't really think that, Narcissa. He's been working too hard, and he's tired, and you have to admit that his entire world revolved about being the only child in the family. He's wrong, but I'm sure he'll understand soon enough." He got up and kissed her forehead. "Congratulations to both of you." 

Lucius pulled Narcissa close until she was resting her head against his shoulder. He looked at Sirius, and said a simple thank you. It was the first time that the two had been more than simply civil with each other. Sirius smiled back, and nodded before going after Draco.

* * *

"You acted like an arse." Sirius said the moment he walked through the locked door. 

"God, thanks. I love how supportive you are," Draco answered sarcastically. He was walking around the room barefoot, cleaning up or more accurately moving books from place to place in a burst of nervous energy. 

"I'm being honest. Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, they weren't thinking of you when they decided to have a child?" Sirius asked. 

"Oh come on, Sirius. These are my parents; they never do anything without thinking of the possible ramification, and they were certainly not thinking about love." 

Sirius walked closer and gripped Draco's arm, forcing him to stop. "Look, I know I've said a lot of not so complimentary things about your father, but there is one thing that it's obvious. They love you. If you can't see that, you're blind. What the hell made you react that way?" 

Draco peeled Sirius's fingers off of his arm. "I haven't spoken more than three words to my father since he's been back. I've tried telling him about me, about us, about so many things that have happened since he went away, but she's always stopped me, telling me to wait, that it's not the right moment. In fact, she's done her best never to leave me alone with him. What should I be thinking, Sirius? Really, tell me, because from where I stand, there is only one reason why she's been acting like this." 

"God, Draco, have you considered the possibility that your mother isn't lying? Two years, two bloody long, and miserable years he has spent in that jail. Do you know what it does to a man? Do you understand that he can have the memories, but they have raped him of all the joyous feelings he had?" Sirius cupped Draco's face. "Think about it. What would the happiest memories be? I reckon they were memories of you and your mother, and Narcissa is giving Lucius time to get the emotions behind those memories back." 

"By giving him another son?" Draco cried out. 

"No, Draco, but giving him a chance to feel those emotions again, and eventually he will be able to reconnect the right feelings with his memories. I never had that, Draco, and I was going mad. I did go mad." Sirius pulled Draco into his arms, and held him tight. He tucked Draco under his chin as he spoke passionately. "You're doing the same for me, don't you see? You're making me feel again. I smile, and I laugh, and I grin, and Lord help me, I get horny. Your mother is doing the same for Lucius, and she's helping you by shielding you from all of that. Maybe, she's wrong; maybe you ought to see the damage caused, but regardless, she isn't trying to hurt you." 

Draco shook his head. "Maybe...I don't know...I want my father back. I love him so much, and I thought that now...but he's always with Mother...I just wanted..." His voice cracked and he buried his face in Sirius's chest. 

Sirius felt the tremble against him, knew that Draco was fighting tears. It wasn't unexpected after the adrenaline of weeks preparing for three separate hearing had finally worn off. "You'll have him back, but you must be patient." 

Draco took a deep breath, and raised his head. His eyes were glazed as he looked at Sirius. "I'm not really good at patience," he tried to joke. 

"You'll be fine, Draco." Sirius kissed Draco's cheek, then the other, and finally his lips. 

"Sirius..." Draco locked his fingers behind Sirius's neck, as he covered Sirius's jaw with gentle kisses. Their lips found each other again, and each kiss followed the next, in a dance filled with need. Their bodies rocked against each other, awakening to their desires, until Draco was pressing his erection against Sirius's hip. "If you want to stop, tell me now." 

Sirius cupped Draco's arse and pulled him against his own erection. "Does this answer you?" Before Draco could answer, Sirius captured Draco's mouth again, sucking on Draco's tongue, tasting the cognac Draco had drunk before. 

Sirius felt the air crackle around them, as they moved faster and faster, their mouths never separating, as they found excitement and comfort in each other's arms. How much was his imagination he didn't know, but he knew that he couldn't stop if he wanted. He felt connected in a way that he had never felt before. Was this what true affection...love... felt like? He didn't have time to wonder as he felt Draco shake in his arms, and warm wetness seeped through their clothes. 

Sirius watched as Draco stood, his mouth slack, his breathing heavy, and his face completely open. Sirius kept rocking, harder and faster, searching for that last push that granted him blissful pleasure. 

They stood in the middle of the room, holding each other, leaning against each other to stand. Sirius loosened his grip when he felt Draco pull back. "You okay?" 

Draco nodded. "I'm okay." Although from his voice, it was obvious that he hadn't forgotten the earlier discussion. "I'll be better when I get these clothes off." He looked at Sirius, and chuckled. "There is one advantage of not being quite human. Those trousers look just as clean as before." 

Sirius traced Draco's face. "There is no trace of what I do; it's as if I were never here, as if this meant nothing... I'd rather have dirty trousers." 

"It means something. You mean something." Draco covered Sirius's hand with his, and then turned to kiss it. "I apologise if I sounded callous, I didn't think..." 

"That's all right, Draco. I understand, but remember that we're not all eighteen, and we were not as lucky as you growing up...Talk to your parents in the morning?" 

"Spend the night with me?" Draco asked hesitantly. 

Sirius nodded. "I will." 

Draco smiled. "I'll talk to them, and thank you."

* * *

Sirius didn't need to sleep, but he spent the night holding Draco, watching him sleep. In the morning, he was about to wake the younger man, when he heard the door open. He was shocked when he saw Lucius walk in, dressed impeccably. He was more shocked when Lucius didn't react to the fact that he found Sirius in bed with his very naked son. Maybe he had underestimated Lucius. 

"I'd like to speak with him alone," Lucius whispered. 

"Of course." Sirius looked down at Draco, and smiled. Then, he met Lucius's gaze again. "He loves you very much," he said before disappearing. 

Lucius stepped forward and rested a hand on Draco's shoulder, shaking him gently. 

"Sirius..." Draco moaned. 

"No, it is I," Lucius answered. 

Draco rubbed his eyes. "Father? Is everything all right?" he said, sitting up. The sheet pooled on his lap, showing enough skin to let Lucius know that his son was stark naked. 

"I ought to ask you that question. Your reaction last night was not what we had expected." 

Draco Accioed a clean robe and pulled it over his head before getting up. "I apologise for the outburst, it was unnecessary, but I can't say that after a good night sleep I have changed my mind." 

Lucius sighed. "Do you really think your mother capable of doing what you accused her of doing?" Draco stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're wrong. Your mother could easily kill if you were in danger, but she would never hurt you. You have no idea how much she loves you." 

"Yes, Sirius said something similar, but her behaviour recently has made me question her idea of love," Draco answered. 

"Enough, sit down, shut up, and listen," Lucius ordered. 

Draco blinked. It had been a long time since his father had used that tone with him, since before he had left for Hogwarts. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?" 

"Draco, you might be under the impression that you run this family, but I assure you that it is far from true. While I will be forever grateful for your excellent display at my hearing, you do understand that your mother has been taking care of our finances since I went to Azkaban. She has been taking care of you, and she has managed to keep you away from the Dark Lord. If that weren't enough, I am back. I admit that I haven't been available, but I am still in charge of this family. Don't think for a moment that what you've done in the past few months makes you qualified to tell us what to do." With a swirl of his robe, Lucius headed for the chair, and sat down. "Is that any clearer, son?" 

Draco stood in front of the mirror, brushing his hair, and looking at his father's reflection at the same time. "It's crystal clear, Father. You don't have to worry about any more interference from my part because I don't plan to be here longer than I have to." He turned. "If there isn't anything else..." 

"There is one thing... how does one shag a ghost?" Lucius asked nonchalantly. 

"One doesn't," Draco answered through grinding teeth. "Not when said almost ghost can't take his clothes off." 

"Oh enough, I'm tired of games, Draco. You listen to me for a moment, and stop being the spoiled brat you are." Lucius waved a hand, pushing aside Draco's objections. "Do you truly think that I wouldn't notice that you're gay? You do know that my closest friend is gay as well. I've known Severus for decades, I've learned to recognise the looks and the touches." 

"I wanted to tell you. She thought it was a bad idea," Draco answered angrily. 

"Yes, I know your mother thinks that I'm blind, but the fact that I pretend not to know, doesn't mean that I don't. Although you've made it blatantly clear in the past month, and if it weren't enough, that little display with the cognac was enough to inform a blind man. Do try being less obvious when you want to keep a secret." 

"Let's try this again, Father. I was not trying to keep it a secret. I wanted you to know about me, about who I am. I wanted to tell you about my OWLs, and my NEWTs, and fighting with Greg, and going to the ball. There was so much I wanted to tell you, but you didn't have the time to talk to me until you had to inform me about another child." 

Lucius approached Draco, and led him to the bed. "Scourgify!" 

Draco shook his head. "The sheets were clean." 

"Well, you never know." Lucius waited until they were seated and took Draco's hand in his. "Let me tell you a few things, and I ask you that you don't interrupt me. When I'm done, you can say anything you like. Is that agreeable?" 

Draco nodded. "Fine." 

"Okay, let's start with the easier things. Your mother didn't plan to replace you for the simple reason that I asked her to have another child, and no, the fact that I learned that you were gay had nothing to do with that decision. In fact, I was hoping for a girl, but I guess we can always try again." 

"Another one? Do you want to turn into a Weasley?" asked Draco stunned. 

"Let me tell you a story, Draco. There was a man who was capable of any cruelty. He had no fear, and death was meaningless, because it usually meant the death of an enemy, but even when it was a friend..." Lucius shrugged. "It wasn't important, nothing came before the ideal of a pureblood society." 

"I think I know how it ends," Draco said. 

"I don't think you do, Draco. See, that man fell in love with this beautiful, and smart woman. Then she got pregnant, and life went on as usual. Then, one night, she went into labour. It was too early, and the baby couldn't survive. The mediwizard performed a miracle, and she carried the baby to full term, except that that father had to face death, his son's death, and for the first time, he was very afraid." 

"Why are you telling me this?" 

Lucius put a finger to Draco's lip. "Just listen. When you were born, I fell in love with you immediately. You were my son, a tiny thing that I had to protect, and it scared me just as much as it made me happy. God, you were beautiful, Draco. I remember holding you, spending my free time watching you, but I don't remember feeling happy. Your mother and I have spoken with specialists at St. Mungo's. They say that I was at Azkaban for such a short period, and my contact was so limited that most of those emotions will come back. Do you know what I do remember?" 

Draco shook his head. "What, Father?" 

Lucius cupped Draco's cheek. "I remember the fear. Every day, people were dying on both sides, and I was terrified of leaving you. Your mother wanted more children, but I was too afraid of that, too. How could I bring another child into such cruel world when I had to take care of you? And afterwards, there were hearings, and suspicions, and then we fell back into a routine, and we never had a second child. I'm not trying to replace you. You are my firstborn, the Malfoy heir by law and birthright. No one can take that from you, but you can't take the joy of having a child from us. You're so grown up; you must know that you can love more people at the same time, in very different ways." 

"Why haven't you told me any of this before? Do you know how hard I've tried to make you proud of me? Even after you went to Azkaban, I tried... tried to catch the snitch before Potter, tried to get more NEWTs than Hermione, tried to be perfect. For you. Why didn't you say anything?" 

"Because I was afraid. You needed to be strong, because I didn't know what would happen when the Dark Lord returned, and I knew it was a matter of time, the mark reminded me every day." Lucius squeezed Draco's arm. "It wasn't easy for either of us, but we're both here and alive. I consider that a success. Now, do you have anything to say?" 

"You've never touched me so much as you have today," Draco whispered. 

In an instant, Draco found himself in Lucius's arms, and he held as tight as he dared. 

"Oh Draco, you don't know how much time you spent in my arms as a baby. I thought your mother would start to get jealous, but she loved you just as much." Lucius kissed Draco's temple. "Which brings us back to last night. You had her in tears, Draco. You need to apologise to her." 

"I will, and I'm sorry. I was upset, and I didn't think." Draco sighed. "If it makes you feel better, Sirius already told me that I acted like an arse." 

"Which brings us to your little tirade about leaving. I assume it is related to Sirius, is it not?" asked Lucius. 

"Yes, he asked me to live at Grimmauld Place." Draco pulled back, and stared at his father. "Will that be a problem?" 

"Of course, it will. You dating anyone will be a problem, because there simply is no one good enough for you, however, I have serious concerns about this, Draco, and no, it's not that I don't like him, and for the record, I don't like him." Lucius smirked as he spoke, but then any trace of humour disappeared from his face. "Sirius has always been...less than reliable. He means well, but his attention is limited." 

"You don't know him, Father. He's not like that-" 

Lucius cut Draco off. "Maybe you're right, and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, however it costs nothing to be cautious. Stay here until we find a way to make him human, and then we worry about his problems with the Ministry." 

"I doubt he will need us. There will be a line of people willing to help," Draco interjected. 

"I have a feeling that he might still want your help. And if he does, and he's still...around, then you'll have my approval." 

"You don't think he will," Draco said sadly. As much as he wanted to tell his father how wrong he was, Draco had his own doubts to deal with, and Lucius's opinion was still important. 

"Recent events have proven what a bad judge of character I can be." Lucius patted Draco's shoulder. "I hope I'm wrong. For you and for him. I think your mother will crucify him if he hurts you. Now, if you please, I need breakfast, and I'm sure your mother is waiting for us." 

Draco got up, and opened the door for his father. They began to walk toward the dining room. "So how much grovelling will it be required before she forgives me?" 

"She's pregnant, Draco. Toss a knut, and that will predict her behaviour, although I'll tell you a secret. It's an excuse. She's in perfect control of her action most of the times." 

Draco looked at his father confused. "Then, why put up with it?" 

"She's giving me a child, Draco. The least I can do is put up with a few strange requests and some very loud outbursts." Lucius saw the confusion and surprise in his son's face, and smiled. "Seeing your parents as equals is strange, isn't?" 

"It is somewhat disconcerting," Draco replied. 

"It's temporary. The older you get, the less strange it becomes. Now, be nice," he said as he opened the door of the dining room. Narcissa was sitting at the table, and Sirius was there as well. 

"You finally decided to join us. I was starving," Narcissa said. 

"I doubt it, love, but regardless you shouldn't have waited. We don't want you to suffer because of us," Lucius replied smoothly. 

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "You're trying to placate me before I even say anything." 

Lucius leaned toward her, and kissed her. "Is it working?" 

"Always," she replied with a smile. Then, she looked at her son. "Draco." 

"Good morning, Mother." He went to her side and hugged her. "I'm sorry." 

"It's all right, darling." She closed her arms around him. "Just remember that next time I'll hex you instead of slapping you," she teased. 

"That's all right, because there won't be a next time." Draco crouched in front of her. "I didn't mean... well, I did, but-" 

"It doesn't matter anymore, Draco." She brushed his hair with her fingers. "Try to think before you speak next time. You're not a child anymore." 

"Yes, Mother." 

"Good, now sit down, and we can have breakfast." While Draco walked to his seat, she added innocently, "Oh, and Sirius told me about your plans about moving into Grimmauld Place. It will not happen for now." 

"Nice to know that I'm not a child anymore," replied Draco with a sarcastic tone. 

"Of course you're not, but there is too much up in the air with Sirius, and the Ministry. Solve that first, and then we talk again. Isn't that right, Sirius?" 

"Anything you say, Narcissa," Sirius replied, smiling. 

"Good to know that you three understand who is in charge." Mirroring Sirius's smile, she waved her wand and their breakfast appeared in front of them.

* * *

A week later, Draco and Sirius were at Grimmauld Place, cleaning the house and eradicating more magical creatures. They had been working most of the afternoon, or more precisely Draco had been casting spells all afternoon, while Sirius used his invisibility to search for different creatures without alerting them. They finally paused for tea. 

"Severus and Lupin ought to be here soon," Draco said while going down the stairs. 

"Severus and Lupin are already here," the Potion master whispered in deference to the portrait, while taking his wet cloak off. 

Lupin wore a Muggle jacket, some sort of waterproof material that fascinated Draco. How could Muggles make clothing that didn't get wet without the help of magic was a true mystery to him. 

Draco turned to Sirius. "You need to release the Fidelius charm, and change the wards. As is, you have over fifty people who have access to this house." 

Sirius smiled. "They haven't stolen anything as of yet. Let's go downstairs, and we can finally stop whispering." 

Remus nodded, and led the way to the kitchen. Draco went directly to the sink to wash away the traces of dust on his hands and face. "Salazar, I feel like a chimney sweeper." 

"I thought Malfoys had house-elves to do the dirty work," said Severus with a mix of humour and sarcasm. Of course to the untrained ear, it sounded like pure scorn, but Draco knew better. 

"Kreacher?" Draco answered with a shiver. "Which reminds me, I convinced him to start cleaning your mother's room. He seemed happy to do something for his mistress, and then I gave him permission to visit his relatives at the house." 

Sirius frowned. "He has relatives working for you?" 

"God, no. Sirius, really, you believe everything the little beast tells you. He needed an excuse to report to Father." Draco shrugged. "It gets him out of our hair, and Father won't hesitate to blast him if he gets too annoying." 

"So very kind of you, Draco." A smile tugged at Severus's lips, but it didn't last long as he sat at the table. "This brings back some...terribly annoying memories filled with loud redheads." 

"Let's not forget Mundungus trying to steal everything that wasn't nailed down. I swear he asked me a few times if I knew how to take the Black crests off of the gold goblets." Sirius shook his head. 

"And he's still alive?" asked Draco, scandalised. "You ought to have blasted him when he asked you the first time. Stealing family heirlooms, really, that's so low class." 

Sirius laughed. "Quite a character he is, but he's not a bad bloke, and it's not like I have a lot of heirs." 

"I reckon Mother would disagree, especially now." Draco took out two trays of tarts and pastries, and rested them on the table, before putting the kettle on the stove. "They come from Malfoy manor, so we know that they haven't been poisoned, but check anyway, Severus. You never know with Kreacher around." 

"How inviting!" 

"You ought to be used to it. Didn't you teach us to check everything we ate at Hogwarts?" Draco said casually as he took out a set of expensive china teacups. 

"You did not!" Remus looked appalled at the idea. "I can't believe you'd teach the students that." 

"Only the Slytherins," Severus said in his defence. "I was taught the same thing when I entered Hogwarts. It's more a tradition than a real need to check for any potentially poisonous potion." 

"Don't look so shocked, Remus. I've always told you that Slytherins are scheming bastards." Draco cuffed the back of his head before Sirius even finished the sentence. "Ouch, that hurt." 

"Not as much as you want me to believe or I wouldn't have been able to hurt you at all." 

"Don't you know you're not supposed to disrespect your elders?" Sirius asked, still rubbing the back of his head. 

"Not when my elders are semi-human, wanted criminals who just happen to be sorted in the house of reckless fools with the good sense of a mountain troll, and..." 

"And the balls of a hippogriff," Sirius added. 

"And the maturity of a child, as you just proved for me." Draco enchanted the kettle, and it began to float over the table, pouring the steaming water into the cups with the tealeaves. 

Draco took a baba' from the tray. "It's a sponge cake with rum. Father loves them." He dipped his finger in the foil tray, holding the treat, the extra rum soaking into his skin. Then he offered his finger to Sirius's mouth. "I'm sure you will to like it." 

Sirius didn't hesitate. They had been playing this game for days now, with Draco allowing him to 'taste' different things. Without considering their guests, he began to suck on Draco's finger, moaning as he tasted the liquor. "God, I miss a good drink." 

As interesting as the scene was, Remus, however, was more concerned with the Potions master. Severus sat still, his face hiding against his hands, making not a sound. Remus's hand went to Severus's arm. "Are you all right? Are you feeling ill?" 

"Make them stop." The dark voice echoed in the shell formed by Severus's hands. "They are so obvious that it makes me want to hex them." 

Remus laughed. "They aren't that bad." 

"We're obvious about what? Snape, I swear you are like the sphinx." 

Severus's head snapped up. "You can't be this dense, Black. It's humanly impossible." He looked at Remus. "Please tell me that he's joking." 

Remus shook his head. "I don't think so." 

"Draco, if you dip your finger in the tea, I will cut it off." Severus's sudden exclamation made Draco freeze on the spot. 

"It's the only way he can taste things," Draco explained. 

"I do not care what the reason is. Please, wait until we're gone before he starts fellating your finger." 

Draco chuckled. "Oh come on, Severus. Don't tell me you've never..." 

Severus's eyebrow flew up, almost hiding into his hairline. "Mr. Malfoy, I suggest you start using that discretion I know your family imparted on you." 

Draco rolled his eyes. "I like cock, you like cock, he or she likes cock, we like cock, you like cock, they like cock. Yes, I can conjugate it, and I don't understand what the problem is with admitting that I'm gay." 

"That's because you have a mother who jokes with you about sex," Sirius said. "And you were born twenty years after us. Things were different, then." 

"But you're all adults, although God knows you don't act it at times. You don't have your parents telling you what to do anymore. I don't understand," Draco insisted. 

Remus smiled benevolently. What would he have done to have Draco's self-assurance and convictions? "Things are so ingrained in whom we are that it's difficult to change. Our parents might be gone, but their teachings stay with us. Remember, we grew up in an era of danger and hiding. You didn't disclose anything that made you different. We reached the point where people wouldn't even discuss their heritage to avoid being classified. You were a pureblood and a Slytherin, therefore you had to be a Death Eater. You were a Muggle-born, therefore you had to hide from purebloods. It was not a nice time in our history." 

"Father was telling me about it, but it seems too strange. I mean as much as I despised the Gryffindors, I didn't want them dead...just gone, somewhere, anywhere." Draco sipped on his tea, still pondering over the issue. 

"As intriguing as this discussion is, I believe we're here for a different reason," Severus said, staring at Sirius. 

Draco put his cup down. It clanked as Draco rested it against the saucer, the noise seemingly louder than it was. Draco put a hand on Sirius's back. "I'll finish cleaning the bedroom." 

Sirius stopped him, resting a hand on Draco's thigh. "Stay. It's not a secret, and even if it were, your mother already guessed it." He took a deep breath and faced the other wizards. "I know you don't believe me, but I am sorry, Snape."

Severus interrupted him rudely. "So you said. However, I was expecting a little more than that." 

"I know. Just bare with me, Snape. It's taken me long enough to understand, and I don't want to bollock it up now. I guess I ought to start with telling you that I'm gay." 

"No, really? I'm shocked. I might die from the revelation." Sarcastic, hard, Severus's voice cut through Sirius's speech. "Black, can you tell us something we don't know?" 

Sirius glared at Severus. "It wasn't so obvious if we're to judge by the number of girls that hung around me." 

"Will this turn into a pissing contest? Because I have better things to do," said Draco. 

Sirius sighed. "No, you're right. Okay, as I was saying, I am gay, and I found myself spending more and more time watching you, Snape, until I didn't know if I hated you or hated the fact that I wanted you. Of course, I thought you were straight, and even if you weren't, really, how likely was it that we would ever..." 

"Are you mad, Black? Okay, let me rephrase that. I know you're mad, but you can't expect me to believe that crap. First, everyone knew that I was gay. In fact, you and Potter made sure to tell everyone in sight." 

"We made it up," Sirius murmured. 

"Excuse me?" Severus asked with a scowl. 

"We didn't know; we made it up. We were only teasing, but we had no idea," Sirius confessed. 

"Merlin's balls, you...Potter... how could you do that? What if it weren't true? Do you know the damage you could have done?" 

Remus gently covered Severus's hand when he saw the Potions master inching toward his wand. "Sirius, as much as I'd like to believe you, you can't tell us that you wanted Severus. Really, you tormented him from the first day." 

"But I did," Sirius said stubbornly. 

"Did you?" Draco inquired. "Why? I doubt you knew him, or that you ever spoke to him besides the predictable Gryffindor/Slytherin insults. You had no idea what he was like, so why did you feel attracted to him? Was it physical?" 

"I don't... I'm not sure. I used to watch him, walking around with your mother, and all of his friends. They were always asking him things, and he was right there in the middle of everything that happened in Slytherin. Everyone wanted to be with him." 

"Did you want to be with him, or did you want to be him?" Draco asked gently. 

Sirius stood up abruptly, the chair falling backwards, crashing against the floor. He turned his back on everyone, resting his hands on the countertop. "I didn't want to be him. I did everything not to become him." 

Draco got up and walked toward Sirius. He rested his head against Sirius's shoulder. He ran his hand up and down Sirius's back as he spoke. "Did you? This was right after you left this house. You told me how you felt, and then there was Severus, a true Slytherin, with his friends, people with whom you had grown up, people who wouldn't talk to you anymore." 

"Your mother thinks..." 

"Sod my mother." Draco cocked his head, looking at Sirius. "What do you think? What happened that day that made you do it? You can't have woken up and said 'oh, let me send Snape after a werewolf'. Knowing you, something ought to have happened." 

"We had a fight that day," Severus put in. "Remember? You ambushed me that morning, accusing me of some spell or other that wouldn't let you open your Transfiguration book. You tried to hex me..." 

"Oh God... " Sirius rested his head against the cupboard. "I remember. You called me pathetic, said that I was alone, that James wasn't interested in me anymore. He was too busy with Lily, and no one else paid attention to a reject with no money." 

"It was a very accurate description of reality," Severus said. 

Sirius turned around and slammed his fists on the table, but in anger they never made contact, slipping through the wood. Draco was at his side immediately, helping him balance, but mostly giving him the contact he needed to calm down. Still when he spoke, his voice was filled with rage. "Yes, it was, you bastard. That's why it hurt so much. I had lost my family, my brother, and I was losing my friend as well." 

"Don't you mean your lover?" Severus drawled out. 

Sirius's expression changed in the blink of an eye, staring at Severus in total confusion. "What are you talking about?" 

"Potter, your lover. Regulus had said that you had been caught with a boy, then we found out that you were living with Potter, so I made the connection." 

"Regulus told you? He would never, he promised me..." 

"Really, Black, don't be so naïve." Severus warmed his tea with his wand before sipping it with extreme calm. "He didn't exactly volunteer the information. However when the rumours that you had been disowned were confirmed by Narcissa, and then Potter confirmed that you had been living with him...Well, I had to find out what had happened, and of course, I went to the one person who had to know: your brother." 

"You're a bastard, and to think that I apologised to you." As his anger increased, his consistency decreased until they could see through Sirius. "What did you do to my brother?" 

As Severus started to protest, Draco signalled him to stop, and luckily he listened. Draco tried to touch the other wizard, but it was impossible. His hand would slide through Sirius as if he were a ghost. "Sirius, you need to calm down." Only then, when Draco had Sirius's eyes on him did the first signs of understanding appear on the Gryffindor's face. 

"That's right. You must push the anger aside, and discuss this with Severus. I know it's the last thing you want to do, but you must. This anger...I don't know how it works, but it can't be good for you." Draco rested his hand over what would be Sirius's heart. "Please." 

Sirius looked down at the hand and tried to cover it with his, but he wasn't successful. "It's not that easy." 

"I know, Sirius, but you must do it. If it helps, I don't think Severus would have hurt your brother. Slytherins don't hurt other Slytherins, not if they want to survive in the house." 

"Of course, I didn't hurt Regulus. I did volunteer to help him in Potions and DADA. After that, he was happy to share the information I sought with me." 

"And that justifies what you did?" Sirius asked, his anger vibrating through what remained of his body. 

"What I did?" Severus asked incredulous. "I asked for information. You tried to kill me, and you have the gall to stand there and complain about what I did. So typical of you, Black." 

"I can't believe either one of you." Remus's quiet voice seemed louder than Severus's accusations and Sirius's insults. "Here we are twenty-two years later, and you still are fighting over who was right. Neither of you has yet to say anything about what I could have faced. Do you even remember that I was involved, too?" 

"Of course, I do, Remus. You don't know how sorry I am." 

Remus raised a hand to silence him. "Don't you start now, Sirius. You were so sorry that when the time came you thought that I could betray James. I've forgiven a lot, but don't stand there, and lie to me." Then, he stared at Severus. "What about you? You knew why he did it, or at least had an idea. You knew he was gay, and you never told me?" 

"What was I supposed to know? He is gay, Potter doesn't want him, and suddenly he's obsessed with me. Really, that is so ridiculous. You don't think I would even consider it, do you?" Severus said affronted. 

Draco could see that Remus was getting angry, yet the werewolf maintained a stoic expression. Draco admired him. Now, if only Sirius could be capable of doing the same, they would all be much happier, and things would go much more smoothly, but Draco didn't believe in miracles. Instead, he stayed close to Sirius, watching as Remus spoke to Severus. "No, but you could have told me later. It's not like you didn't have the past five years to tell me." 

"I thought you were together, therefore you ought to have known. Besides, how am I to know that he doesn't share such personal information with his closest friend? I told my friends." 

"What does this have to do with what happened?" Sirius suddenly asked. 

Severus turned to Sirius, his anger obvious in the tightness of his body, and Draco thought he would hex Sirius, or at least try, but then his posture changed. "You really have no idea, Black," he exclaimed, surprised. He looked at Remus, who nodded before he focused on Sirius again. "Sit down, please. It seems that I have some explanations to give you as well." 

Draco could feel Sirius's hand again, and squeezed gently. "C'mon, it doesn't hurt to listen." 

"You'd be surprised," Sirius muttered under his breath, but he took his seat. "So what is this revelation of yours?" 

"Did you ever ask yourself why I didn't tell anyone? Oh yes, Albus said I could have been punished for being out, but really, that was such nonsense. The moment it became known that he had allowed a werewolf into the school, he would have been thrown out of the school. You would have been expelled by the fine Slytherin governors, and Remus would have... well, I'm not really sure, but I assume he would have been sent to Azkaban if I made enough fuss." 

"So why didn't you tell?" Sirius challenged. 

"Because I thought you knew my real secret. You taunted me with the fact that I was gay and that I spent so much time watching you. Then, you tell me that Lupin wanted to see me, told me how to get to him. I assumed you knew." 

"Knew what?" Sirius asked exasperated. "I thought you told your friends." 

"I did, and it posed no danger because my skills covered any prejudice that might have existed, but my friends, my elders, and my Lord would not have accepted the fact that I was attracted to a Gryffindor, a half-blood, a beast." Severus glanced at Remus, and the werewolf smiled. 

Sirius was too shocked to hold onto his anger and his body became completely solid again as he slumped against his chair. "I guess Narcissa was right about that part." 

"Narcissa didn't guess, Black. She knew how I felt, but she always kept it a secret. She was a good friend, still is," Severus commented. 

Draco's hand rested on Sirius's thigh. He looked at his former teachers for a moment, and smiled at them. "Sirius, do you understand what Severus hasn't really said, but it's tremendously obvious? They are together," he concluded before Sirius could answer. 

Sirius looked at Remus for confirmation, and his friend nodded. "Since when?" 

"About five months after...after the incident at the Ministry. Sirius, please, if you're about to tell me about Slytherins, traitors, and evil, I don't want to hear it. I really don't. Severus and I had to get past so many issues that I don't plan to rehash them." Remus spoke gently, his voice warm like a fluffy blanket, and yet it held a core of steal. "I hope you can accept us. If today proved something is that we will never really forget what happened that night, but hopefully, we can move past it, with or without forgiveness." 

"You don't really think that I'm in a position to say anything." Sirius put a hand around Draco's shoulder. "I'm spending all my time with the Malfoys," he said with a grin, "with a family I sought to forget and renounce so long ago." 

"It looks like more than just family," Remus added. 

Draco and Sirius looked at each other. They weren't trying to keep anything hidden, but then there was little to hide, not when they still hadn't discovered what was behind Sirius's task and what they needed to do before Sirius could become human again. 

Draco held no illusions. His father's warning was never too far from his mind. His own natural distrust of other wizards didn't help at all. Yet, when Sirius said, 'Maybe... we'll see in the future', his heart skipped a beat, as he was reminded once more of the fragility of what he and Sirius shared. The blood link that had brought them together was also a complication and an excuse to fall back on if things didn't work out as he wanted. 

However, Draco didn't show any of this, instead he smiled at Remus, and said, "We still have time, and he has a task to complete." 

"In the meantime, I think we can try a truce, maybe?" Sirius's attention was on Severus again. "Because I think Remus is right. I doubt there is anything that I can say that will appease you after what happened." 

"You do admit that you were an arrogant fool who was only thinking of himself, and was trying to kill me, do you not?" Severus asked, his expression betraying nothing of what he was thinking. 

Sirius's head flopped forward as he said a puffed 'Yes, I admit it'. 

"Very well, I accept your apologies. The matter is closed for me. Now, we could try some of these pastries..." 

"That's it. I admit it, and it's finished?" 

Severus leaned back, his elbows on the armrests. He stared at Sirius, his fingers steepled as he continued to look. "The one thing I have wanted the most throughout the years was for you to tell the truth. No one would believe that 'good old' Sirius Black would ever want to hurt me, or anyone for that matter. Of course, that all changed soon enough, unfortunately for you. At this point, I have nothing to gain from a public acknowledgement of your action, although the one you made at Lucius's dinner was appreciated. Now, I know what happened, and so does Lupin. That's enough." 

"You are one of the strangest men I've ever met, Snape, but if that's all it takes-" 

Severus leaned forward, his elbows on the table, and he looked at Sirius with a feral expression on his face. "That's all? You have the courage to say that's all? If it were so simple, you would have said it long ago, but you kept swearing to the world that it was a prank. You never had any intention of hurting me. Face it, Black, you would have rather died than admit the truth." 

"Maybe once...not anymore, Snape. You know you were right about something else. That year spent in this house I felt useless, just like you said. I rushed to the Ministry to save Harry. I wasn't interested in the fact that there were other people who could do the job just as well. I wanted to get up from this house, and accomplish something. I should have thought it over, but I didn't. Want to know something else? I'm tired of not living, of reacting, of not making my own choices." Sirius brought Draco's hand to his lips and kissed it. He ignored the curious look from Draco, and went on. "I want to live the life that I never lived, now that there are no Death Eaters, no Voldemort, and no war." 

"You'll find that my plans aren't much different, Black. I believe that maybe now we can have that truce you referred to." 

"I'm glad," Sirius said. 

Draco felt a strange energy where he was touching Sirius, but dismissed it easily. Then, he waved his wand, heating all the tea. "Perfect, and now that you can be in the same room without insulting each other, maybe we can have tea."

* * *

It had started simple enough. Harry had volunteered to help Draco and Sirius cleaning up the house on Saturday afternoon. Draco wasn't sure how, but Remus had found out and had volunteered his services and Severus's. 

Draco was already dreading the idea of spending a morning with Sirius and Severus in the same house. Truce or not, he doubted that they could stop the bickering any time soon. His mother had helpfully commented that they would need to spend time together, before they could understand each other. If they met daily, she had assured Draco, then in another seventy years or so, they would stop arguing. Draco feared that his mother was quite right. 

To make things worse, if that was even possible, Tonks heard of their cleaning expedition, and affirmed that it was her duty as family to help. Draco had warned Kreacher, and ordered him to stay close to her and make sure that she wouldn't break anything of value. 

If a day cleaning with these people weren't enough, there was the added obstacle of getting through Mrs. Black's portrait. Everyone tiptoed through the room, keeping any discussion to a minimum. 

"Careful, the third step creaks," Draco reminded Severus, who took his time to turn and glare at Draco, as if he had committed the gravest offence. "I was just jogging your memory, that's all," Draco said in his defence. 

Severus swirled around, ignoring Draco and continued his climb. One by one, they followed him, careful with the third step. They had almost made it through when a sudden noise followed by other thumps echoed through the hall. 

Draco turned around to see that Tonks had tripped. On her way down, she had to have reached for something to grab on. Unfortunately, she found a painting that fell from its hook, and rolled its way down the stairs. 

The effect was immediate. The velvet curtains flew open, and Mrs. Black's voice resonated in the room, filling it with a mix of creative and pass insults. "Filth! Mudbloods, beasts and traitors. How dare you pollute this house!" 

With a sigh, they backtracked. Tonks was the first to reach the portrait, and tried to reason with the woman. Soon Remus joined her in her attempt of placating the woman, while Harry and Severus stunned the rest of the portraits. They worked together well, like an orchestra under a great conductor, and yet, none of them was able to shut her up. 

Sirius and Draco descended upon the portrait. Sirius reached for the curtain, but Draco took out his wand and pointed at the howling woman. "Madam, I suggest you stop this nonsense or I will set you on fire." 

"You wouldn't dare, half-blood degenerate-" 

"Incendio!" The dried-up flowers in the portrait erupted into flames, before their ashes sprinkled down. "We haven't been properly introduced. It's an omission on my account, I'll admit. My name is Draco Malfoy, I'm a pureblood, and I dare do a lot more than simply turn a few flowers to ash. The choice is yours, Madam. You can welcome us - Sirius, Tonks and me - into your home as Black descendants, and these gentlemen as our guests or you can go up in smoke just like those 'lovely' flowers." 

Mrs. Black sat up, her spine straight, her head high, but the effect was lost when she had to look down at Draco. "If you had had the grace to introduce yourself sooner..." 

"I apologise, Madam, for my considerable oversight," Draco said with a slight bow. "I assume we won't have any problems from now on? It would be such a shame to deprive this house of its magnificent portraits, but one must make choices when redecorating." 

"I'm sure we can come to a peaceful cohabitation." 

"Lovely! Then if you don't mind, we need to clean," Draco said smiling. He turned and winked at Sirius. "Gentlemen, and lady, shall we?" 

Tonks wrapped her arm around Draco's neck, in a loose headlock, as they walked toward the stairs. She giggled when she saw his glare. "Way to go, cousin. We should have had you here a few years ago. No one has been able to shut the old nut." 

"There is no need to be rude," Draco said. 

"You just threatened to set her on fire, and you are concerned about manner. Are you mad?" 

"No, I'm a Malfoy," he said as if that explained anything. He looked at the rest of the wizards that were following them. Sirius was standing right behind them, talking to Harry, while Severus and Remus held the rear. "All right, we have three rooms to clean. We can split up in pairs." 

"I guess you're stuck with me, Draco." 

Draco looked at his cousin with disdain. "If you want me to work with you, I suggest you get rid of that horrible pink hair." 

"It's fuchsia, and I think it looks marvellous." She looked at Draco with the corner of her eyes. "What colour would you suggest?" 

"A normal one," Draco deadpanned. "Blond or black." 

Tonks shook her head. "What's wrong with this family? It's all about extremes: very blond or very black, pureblood and Muggle-born, rich and poor, very gay-" She pointed at Draco. "-or very straight," she said, pointing at Sirius. 

Draco turned around, and smiled conspiratorially to Sirius. "I'm sure there are some exceptions," he answered, still smiling. When they reached the third floor, Draco stopped. "We'll take a room down here. Severus and Remus can take the other, and you and Harry can go upstairs. Is that good? 

"Yes, that's fine." As soon as they had divided their assignments, Harry climbed the steps to the fourth floor. The rest went into their assigned room, but Sirius and Draco lingered in the hallway. 

Sirius brushed his knuckles over Draco's cheek. "Do I need to tell you to be careful?" 

"I always am," Draco said reassuringly. "You be careful, too. I don' t like not being there to watch your back." 

"I know, but we're only cleaning the house, not going off to war, and I need to do this. There is so much I need to tell Harry." 

"I know, Sirius." Draco nodded toward the stairs. "Go before he gets in trouble." He winced when he heard a noise from his assigned room. "And I'd better go before Tonks destroys the house." He gave a quick kiss on Sirius's cheek before going into the room, and methodically ridding it from its uninvited guests. 

It was slow work. Trying to find if there were any infestation, or more accurately how many there were. The next step was to identify each creature, and then find the proper way to dispose of them. Their job was made easy by the efforts that the different members of the Order of the Phoenix had made during the years. 

It was about two hours later, when they heard loud thuds from the upper floor. Draco ignored the Pixie that was still flying around the room, leaving Tonks to deal with it, and ran upstairs. He was the first to enter the room, to find Sirius lying unconscious on the floor, while Harry knelt at his side. "What happened? What was that noise?" 

Harry looked up, panicking. "I don't know. He fell down, and started convulsing, and then nothing... I... I have no idea. Oh God, not again. I can't lose him again." 

"Tell me everything you did, anything you encountered, Potter." Draco knelt on the other side of Sirius, his wand hovering over the still body. "What am I even looking for?" he murmured to himself. There would be no heartbeat. Spells wouldn't work, and if they did, Draco didn't know which one could be useful. What did you use to revive a dead man? "C'mon, Sirius, wake up." 

Draco looked up when he heard footsteps. "Severus, do something. I know you can. Please, I know you don't like him, but please..." 

Severus shook his head. "Remus and I will try, but this is beyond us, Draco. There are no precedents when it comes to this." He moved close, Remus right behind him. They both took out their wands, and began to search for something that could revive Sirius.

* * *

Sirius had collapsed on the floor while talking to Harry. Suddenly, he was outside his own body, floating in ways that human space didn't seem to include. He wasn't going up or down, yet he was moving through clouds, or fog, or something that he couldn't name, but that he recognised. 

Slowly, his view of his childhood house disappeared, and he was beyond the veil. He wasn't sure how he knew that, but Sirius had no doubt about that. The panorama became familiar quickly. He found himself walking toward an unknown place that would take him to the three Beings, another fact that he knew beyond a doubt. 

When he reached the golden thrones, Sirius knelt, knowing by instinct that this was the right thing to do. 

"You are back to the Land-In-Between," the Being in yellow said. 

"So it seems," Sirius answered sarcastically. His own tone reminded him of Snape. Great, now he was channelling the Slytherin he hated the most. "How did I get here? I was no where near the veil." 

"You do not ask the questions, here," answered the Being in red. 

"You remind me of a person I know. Are you related to Snape?" Sirius immediately turned to the Being in blue. He could 'hear' the laughter coming from Her or Him. 

"Don't be surprised, Sirius Black. We know about your world. We know about all the worlds," the Being in blue responded. "And it was time for you to come back. We don't need the veil. It is merely a tool for us." 

"You might want to send the memo to the Ministry, just in case someone else decides to take a dive through it," Sirius said annoyed. 

"No one else will," the Being in yellow said with conviction. "You are the one for whom the veil was meant." 

"How do you know?" Sirius challenged. 

The Being in red sneered at him. "Look around you. There is no time in the Land-InBetween. This is the present, the past, and the future." 

Angry, Sirius glared at the three Beings. "Then, why did you keep me here? You could have sent me back the same day. I could have helped. There was so much to do there, plans to make, and Voldemort-" 

His speech ended as sound exploded in his head. He fell forward, as the shrieking sound boomed in his head, making his brain throb. He waited until the pain subsided, and then he looked up again. 

"It was not your destiny. Another had to face that problem, without your help. You returned when it was time," the Being in yellow explained. 

"And Draco? How does he fit all of this?" Sirius asked, a little more cautiously. 

"Remember what we told you. You needed to find the person who loved you," the Being in yellow said. 

Sirius shook his head. "No, it's more than that. You sent me there, to his house. From the beginning, I could feel the difference when I touched him. I could sense what he felt, and yet he couldn't have been in love me. We hadn't met until that moment." 

"Stop thinking like a man. You aren't human, but you are a part of the Land-In-Between. We have told you that there is no past or future. It always is. You recognised what would be, because it already was," the Being in yellow answered. 

"Jesus Christ, you are a complicated bunch." Sirius frowned. "So, why am I here again? Was that all? A few months back on earth?" 

The benevolent laugh of the Being in red surprised him. Sirius had learned to associate that Being with anger, and scorn. "Don't be shocked; We are three and one." 

"You are here temporarily. You will soon return to your world, and live there until your death," came the answer from the Being in yellow. 

"Death? You mean that I will go back as a human? I'll be normal again?" Sirius wasn't sure if he ought to be hopeful or suspicious, probably both. 

"As normal as you ever were," the Being in red answered. 

"Now, I know that you are related to Snape. So what's the trick here? Why now and not before?" asked Sirius. 

"Because you redressed the sins of your pasts," said the Being in yellow. 

"Riiiiight. You'll have to enlighten me, because I still don't understand what my task was. I doubt you were interested in whether I would talk to Harry about my past." 

"Is that what you were doing? Think back to what you were doing before coming here. Look inside yourself. There you will find all the answers you seek, the guides for your future." The Being in blue rose. He glided over the fog, cutting through it like it were butter. It reminded Sirius of the Dementors, but with none of the fear that he associated with the awful creatures. 

Sirius watched as a slim and cold hand hovered over him. Slowly, the other two Beings joined the first. Their hands sliced through the air gently until they rested on Sirius's head. A strange power travelled through the wizard. Big, blue eyes opened wide as he relived the last moments on earth, and suddenly, he knew. He knew what he was supposed to do, what his sins were. 

The three Beings smiled; Sirius knew this implicitly without ever seeing their faces. Warmth enveloped him, and then he was floating again, pulled toward something else, pulled toward his future.

* * *

The calm serenity of the Land-In-Between was soon replaced by chaos. Sirius lay with his eyes closed. He could hear voices around him. The voices were hard, recriminating, accusing. Everyone was blaming someone else for Sirius being unconscious. 

Sirius wanted them to stop arguing, stop yelling. He wanted to tell them about how peaceful it was in the Land-In-Between, how it had taken away most of his anger. However, he was having problems opening his eyes, let alone speaking. He cleared his throat, but the discussions continued around him. "Don't argue," he croaked out. 

"Sirius," both Harry and Draco knelt back at his side. 

Draco grazed Sirius's cheek with his knuckles before he remembered about Harry. Sirius was supposed to tell his godson today, but Draco didn't know if they had ever gotten around to the subject. "Are you all right?" 

Sirius opened his eyes, and blinked a few times. The bright light affected his eyes. He could see shadows more than images. From the shapes, he could make out Snape sitting in an armchair. Remus was standing on one side of the chair, while Tonks was sitting on the floor. Draco and Harry were kneeling at each side of him. With time, his eyes adjusted, but things weren't the same. The room seemed so different. The colours were more brilliant than they were before regaining his humanity. 

"Yes, I'm fine." However, his voice was filled with confusion and uncertainty. This world, his world, seemed different now. He wondered why he hadn't noticed any difference when he had returned as a spectre. Maybe, the news had been so shocking that he had not paid attention. Whatever it was, this would take some time before he would get used to this colour-enhanced, sound-filled world. 

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. 

"Yes, I'm okay. I need-" Slowly, he sat up, his head spinning as he rose, but eventually he was sitting on the floor, his back against the couch. Within a minute or two, the room stopped moving. 

"Sirius, what happened? You were unconscious for a while. Nothing we did would wake you up," Draco explained. 

"Remember those three in the thrones?" Draco nodded. "I visited them." 

Draco pushed down any hope that was springing within him, but Sirius's teasing answers were making it hard. However, he played along. "Yes, and?" 

"And I need a shower." Sirius barely had time to open his arms that he found Draco pulling him into a tight embrace. 

"I knew you could do it," Draco whispered. 

"What is going on?" Harry asked with a frown. 

Draco drew back. "He needs a shower," he repeated as if it were the most normal thing in the world, but he only saw four confused people staring back at him. "As a spectre, he didn't nor couldn't take a shower. Now, he can." 

"Oh God, you're human again!" Harry exclaimed. 

"Five points to Gryffindor," Draco said sarcastically. "Took you long enough." 

Harry ignored him, but kept staring at Sirius, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "So what happened? Why now?" 

"It seems that Draco was right," Sirius started. 

"I often am," Draco drawled out. "Would you care to be more specific?" 

"I would, if you didn't interrupt me," Sirius answered cheekily. However, his tone was very different when he spoke again, and he covered Harry's hand, looking straight at his godson. "Speaking to you made me realise many things. The first is that I owe you a huge apology." 

"You haven't done-" 

"I have, Harry. Since I met you, I've treated you like you were the miniature copy of your father. I expected you to do what he would have done, to say the things he would have said." Sirius's hand ghosted over Harry's face. "You do look so much like him. It's so easy to be back in time when I see you, think of all the time James and I spent together. Your father was like a brother to me, and I wanted that so much, I felt I could recapture the past, but I was so very wrong to think that I could do it." 

"Why don't I like the sound of this." Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sirius, what did you do?" 

Sirius put a hand on Draco's knee. "Don't worry. I didn't do anything stupid." He looked around the room, and saw the worry on everyone's face, but no one understood the implication of what Draco was saying. "Draco is concerned because I told him that since I left Azkaban I have been obsessed with the idea of going back in time, and stopping James from making Peter the Secret Keeper." 

"Sirius, you can't mean that." Remus began to pace in front of his friend. "Do you know what you could cause? The changes? And how would you even accomplish that without meeting your past self and James?" 

"A letter, Moony. I planned to go back, and leave a letter for James. I would tell him about Peter and his betrayal, about picking you or even turn to Dumbledore. I would put enough information that only the two of us knew that he would know that the letter was really from me," Sirius explained. 

"God, Sirius, you promised me that you wouldn't try it, and instead you planned the entire thing. I can't believe you." Draco started to get up, but Sirius stopped him. 

"I know I promised, but I couldn't abandon the idea. Not completely. At least until today." Sirius smiled at Harry. "I'm sorry I couldn't do this for you." 

Harry shook his head. "You don't have to apologise, Sirius. You aren't the only one who thought about going back in time. Since Hermione showed me her time-turner in third year, I've been thinking about what I could have done, but the risks were too high." 

"But see, I never cared about the risks. I was ready to face the consequences. Damn be the rest of the world, and until today, I told myself that I was doing this for you. I was giving you your parents back." Sirius leaned back against the couch, his head lolling back, resting against the cushion. "But as we talked, I realised that I knew so little about you, but what I saw was a man very different from James. I saw a strong man, serious and quiet, not the boisterous man always ready to jump into any pranks. If you were a Marauder, you'd be Remus, the quiet one. But it also made me think that I never considered you in my scheme. I wasn't thinking how your life would change or if you even wanted to risk the fact that Voldemort could still be alive. I was thinking about me. It was never about you, but about me and your father. I'm so sorry...the consequences if I'd gone through with it..." 

Harry smiled. "But you didn't, and everything is fine." 

Draco rolled his eyes. "Of course, always so simple." 

"What would you like me to say?" Harry glared at Draco. 

"That he was an irresponsible imbecile for considering it in the first place, especially after promising me that he wouldn't because of the inherent risks." Draco glared at Sirius. "You were irresponsible, just so you know. Those Beings must agree with me if this idea of going back in time prevented you from becoming human." 

Sirius shook his head. "It wasn't only that, although that was the last step, the most important, I'd say. It wasn't a task, Draco. I had to redress my past: the separation with my family, accepting my sexuality, Neil, facing Snape and what I did. Everything had an impact." 

"And you know this for sure, right? These are not assumptions on your part, are they?" Draco asked. 

"No, they aren't. I went back, behind the veil. I saw those Beings, and they made me see... I can't even explain, but yes, I'm sure, and it makes sense now that I know. Remember when I told you about that feeling I got after the dinner, and when I met Neil? It was just another step toward my humanity." 

"You are alive!" Narcissa marched into the room with Lucius behind her. "I will personally hex that atrocious house-elf. He came and told us that you were dead. We had to find Dumbledore before we could gain access. We sent Andromeda a note, and she's on her way. We went crazy, and you are alive." 

"Sorry to disturb you, Narcissa. Next time, I'll make sure to die. Would that make you happy?" Sirius asked with a smile. 

She waved a hand. "Nonsense. Now, why did Kreacher think you were dead?" 

"He was unconscious, Mother." Draco leaned to see behind his mother. "Hullo, Aunt Andromeda. I was informing Mother that Sirius took a trip behind the veil again, and now he's human, again. I hope that's a good enough reason to have inconvenienced you, Mother," he finished with a smirk. 

"Oh my, is that true? Of course, it's true. Draco knows better than to lie to me. Lucius, did you hear?" 

"Yes, dear, I might have lost my mind - after all I'm in this house, - but not my hearing." Lucius went to sit on an armchair. "Hello, Severus. I see they have roped you into this mess as well." 

"I'm simply enjoying the theatrics. You've missed Black thinking that going back in time, and possibly reviving Voldemort was all right because he would have his friend back; Potter thinking that since he didn't do it, it's perfectly all right; Draco thinking that Black is an imbecile - not wrong in my opinion." 

"You ought to call me next time. I missed all the fun," Lucius answered. 

"Stop it, you two." Narcissa clapped her hands. "Kreacher, go back to the house. Go into my bedroom. There are some new robes for Lucius. Pick one, the cobalt one, I should say. Then, find Dumbledore, and tell him that all the house-elves in the house need access to this place. Then, bring them here. It's time to clean up this place." She tapped her foot while the house-elf stared at her. "Why are you still here? Go, now." 

She smiled as the pop sound signalled Kreacher's departure. "All right. You need to get a shower, a haircut, and new clothes. It won't do for you to look like a... like a dirty Muggle. The house-elves can take care of the house, decorating it, making it more cheerful." 

"No!" Draco stared at his mother. "This is Sirius's house. He ought to choose what the house looks like, not you. They can clean it, although I'm not sure why you didn't offer before." 

Narcissa shrugged. "He was a ghost with nothing to do. This gave him a goal." 

Draco looked at Sirius and grinned. "I bet he could have found something else to do." 

"Yes, well, I took that into consideration as well," Narcissa answered. "But I can't very well let him live here, with the house in this condition." 

"Yes, you can, Narcissa." Lucius approached his wife, and kissed her cheek. "I know you mean well, but I'm sure Sirius's topmost concern for today is not the house. Send some food, whatever else he might need for a few days. Draco can keep him company, can't you, Draco?" 

"Of course, Father." 

"Good. It's best if Sirius stays here for now. The Ministry can't gain access to this house while all these fine people determine what's the best way to take care of that little problem." 

"Do you know what you're doing, Lucius?" Narcissa said with an accusing tone. 

"I know exactly what I'm doing Narcissa. I also remember how I felt when I regained my freedom. I doubt sharing fashion tips with you is what Sirius wants to do." Lucius looked at Draco, who wasn't leaving Sirius's side, while pretending that there was nothing between them. His boy wasn't being as subtle as he thought, and Lucius smiled at Draco. Then, he kissed Narcissa's cheek. "Let them be, love. They are adults. Now, let's go." 

Narcissa huffed, but she also knew how to pick her battles. Obviously, Lucius had made his decision, and she couldn't do anything with so many people around. "All right. Sirius, send Kreacher to the house if you need anything, and I will send more house-elves to clean what's left to clean. Draco, make sure he doesn't go out without the proper precautions." 

"Yes, Mother." Draco looked amused at the direction, but he really couldn't blame his mother. 

"Do you not trust me? I'm devastated," Sirius exclaimed, with a hand on his chest. 

"Sirius, of course I don't trust you. I know you too well. Now, get up from that filthy floor, and at least say 'goodbye' properly." 

Standing up slowly, Sirius tested to see if the room was still spinning. When his world was back to normal - except for the more intense sounds and noises - Sirius approached Narcissa, and hugged her. "Don't worry, Narcissa; I'll be careful." 

Narcissa looked at his eyes, knowing that it wasn't only a matter of going out. She nodded. "Good, and if I haven't said it yet. It's really good to have you back, three decades later." 

"Thank you." Releasing Narcissa, Sirius shook Lucius's hand. "I'm grateful for you trusting me." 

Lucius snorted. "Don't be an imbecile. I trust no one, but I made my son a promise, and I would never renegade on it. Now, if you'll excuse us." As he walked toward the door, a hand on Narcissa's back, he stopped in front of Andromeda. "If you'd be so kind as to do me a favour. I'd love to invite you and your family for dinner. There is something we'd like to tell you." 

Andromeda clunked her tongue in a reproaching manner. "Lucius, Lucius, you can't even lie well anymore. Confess that you don't want to listen to Narcissa's nagging about having stopped her remodelling project." 

"Nonsense, he'll be listening to that for a few weeks," Narcissa replied with a smile. "We do however want to tell you something. Indulge us, and maybe this time your husband can come as well." 

"All right," Andromeda said intrigued. "We shall see you tonight." She watched her sister and brother-in-law leave the room, before turning to her cousin. "And you-" She went to hug Sirius. "Do be careful, Sirius." 

"The Ministry can't gain access to the house." 

"Oh, I know that. I meant with Narcissa. You hurt her boy, and I suggest you run far away." She kissed his cheek. 

"How did you..." Sirius frowned. 

"Really, Sirius, do you think I'm stupid? And Lucius isn't as subtle as he'd like to think." She waved at her nephew. "I shall see you later. Draco, it was good seeing you again. That invitation is still open." 

"Thank you, aunt Andromeda. I promise I will stop by as soon as I have time. Is that all right?" 

"That would be lovely." She smiled at the other people present. "It's been a pleasure meeting all of you again. Nymphadora, do come home in time to change for the dinner, tonight. Your father will shock your aunt and uncle enough. We don't need you marching in, wearing some outlandish outfit. You can wait until another time." 

Tonks snorted. "Mum, I don't think my clothes will matter much. Uncle Lucius cringes every time he sees me." 

"Well, he will be distracted by your father tonight. I will see you soon," Andromeda said pointedly, letting her daughter know that it was an order. 

 

"Yes, Mum," Tonks answered. 

Harry got up from the floor and sat on the couch, watching Andromeda Tonks leave before he said anything. "All right, now that they are gone. What the bloody hell was that all about, Sirius? Why do you need Draco here? And what did Lucius mean when he said that you're adults?" 

Draco stood up, and brushed his robes. "I see you didn't tell him." 

Sirius rolled his eyes. "It's not because I didn't want to. Next time I have to share something important, I shall make sure that it's not on a day that I become human again." 

"Ah, ah, so very funny." Without an explanation, he Apparated away, and returned quickly with a bottle and some snifter. "Cognac anyone." 

"Yes, please. It's the perfect companion to what's to come," Severus said. 

Remus smacked Severus's arm. "Be nice." 

"I'm never nice. Besides, you must admit that this has the potential of a great tragedy," Severus remarked. "Thank you, Draco," he said as he took the snifter from his former student. 

Draco nodded. "Remus, would you like some?" 

Remus shook his head. "No, thank you, and we should be going." 

"You don't truly want me to miss this," Severus said horrified. "The possibility of bloodshed is too high to leave now." 

Remus took the untouched glass from Severus's hand and gave it back to Draco. "You might want to give this to Harry. I have a feeling he might need it." Remus pulled Severus's sleeve. "Let's go. I'm sure you'll find something better to do." 

"Sweet Merlin, you are such a bore. The one time I find your friend even remotely interesting..." Severus stood up, but turned to Draco. "Do put this in a Pensieve for me, especially the gory details." 

Draco sniggered. "I will make sure to deliver it to you first thing in the morning, and you speak to Dumbledore and see how quickly he can arrange a hearing with the Wizengamot so we can take care of this." 

Severus nodded. "Don't worry; I'll speak to him when I get to Hogwarts. I'm sure he's waiting for me as we speak. Gentlemen, Tonks, have a good, and not too homicidal, night." The Potions master didn't wait for his lover, instead he walked downstairs alone. 

Remus rolled his eyes. "In another life, he was an actor. Good night, everyone." 

"Good night, Remus, and thanks for helping." Sirius smiled at his friend as Harry, Tonks, and Draco said their goodbyes. Soon enough, the four of them were alone. 

"What were they all ranting about? I asked a few questions and everyone seems to know the answer, but me," Harry said irritated. "Even Snape knows more about you than me." 

"How does that surprise you? The man knows everything about everyone," Tonks commented. "If it helps, I have no idea either." 

"You know how you were commenting about our family?" Sirius started. "Blond and black, good and evil, very gay and very straight?" 

Draco snorted as he swirled the amber liquid in the glass. He kept his eyes on the cognac, but he could feel Sirius's glare. "Was there a point, Sirius?" Draco said sweetly. 

"Yes, Draco, there was a point, and if you would kindly shut up..." 

"Just tell them," Draco said exasperated. 

"For once, I agree with him." Harry stared at Sirius, hands crossed in front of his chest, so reminiscent of Severus's stance. "What is so bad that you can't tell us?" 

 

"It's not bad, Harry. It's just the very straight..." Sirius shook his head. "Not so much. In fact, not at all." 

Harry looked confused. "I don't understand what the problem is...and what does that have to do with you and Draco being adu- Oh, oh, you, him, you two?" 

"Potter, here, take this." Draco shoved a glass in Harry's hand. "Drink slowly, and then try again." 

Harry looked at the glass, and then shook his head. "I don't need alcohol, but this is...you're cousins!" 

"So were my parents," Sirius said. With a sigh, he joined Harry on the couch. "This wasn't how I wanted to tell you, but Draco and I have been spending lots of time together, and things have happened-" 

"Oh good God, don't tell us," Tonks said covering her ears. "I'm not listening to what my cousins do." 

"We haven't done anything... well, we've done some things, just not done everything," Draco said cheekily. 

"Still, not listening to this. You're family. I'm not supposed to hear this." 

"If you don't hear it from us, I'm sure Mother will be willing to tell you." Draco smirked at his cousin. 

"Stop it, you two." Sirius put a hand on Harry's knee. "I know that the blood relationship might seem strange to you, but it's quite common in the wizarding world. My mother was a Black before she got married to my father. They were second cousins. There is nothing that makes it illegal." 

Draco approached the couch, and put a hand on Sirius's shoulder, while looking at Harry. "Do you have a problem because it's me? I mean not just because I'm related to Sirius, but because I'm Draco Malfoy, a person you have...not liked for a long time." 

Harry looked up in a daze. "I... I don't have a problem, but it's...it's very sudden. I mean... you're related..." 

"Yes, Potter, I think Sirius just covered that part." 

"That's it, he covered it? You keep talking about family, being a family, family doesn't have sex with each other." Harry put down the glass on the coffee table, and stood up. He began to pace back and forth, stopping in front of Sirius on each way. 

"Look, yes, Draco and I were never the best of friends in school, but in the past few weeks, we've proved that we can ... I don't know, maybe not be friends, but we can work together. And it's not 'oh, he's a Slytherin' thing. I've known about Remus and Snape since last year. Really, if I accepted the two of them..." He snorted. "The only person worse than Snape would have been Voldemort." 

"There was always my father," Draco said, barely containing a smirk. 

Harry froze and then laughed. "Yes, that would have been worse than Snape." 

"So, what is so bad about this?" Sirius asked tentatively. 

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know, Sirius. I don't care about whether you're gay or straight, but it freaks me out that you two are related. It's the norm in the wizarding world, you say, but it's not the norm for me." He sighed, and then went to hug Sirius. "I love you, Sirius, and I'm so glad that you're back. Just give me some time on this, okay?" 

"Yes, sure, Harry. Take as much time as you need, and if you want to talk-" He opened his arms. "I guess I'm stuck in this house once more." 

"Don't worry. We'll get you out soon enough." Harry turned his head to stare at Draco. "There is someone who is becoming an habitue' in front of the Wizengamot. I'm sure it's a matter of days." 

"Hopefully, but I'll be here until then. You don't have to worry," Sirius reassured Harry. 

"That's good. I doubt Draco would let you out anyway." Harry looked at Sirius, silent, thinking about what he wanted to say, but everything sounded wrong. He decided on a quick hug. "I guess I'll see you soon. 'Night, everyone." 

"Good night, Harry." Sirius watched Harry brush Tonks arm before leaving the room. After a moment, he felt Draco press against his back. 

"He took it much better than I had thought," Draco said calmly. 

"I agree. He was brought up by Muggles, Sirius. This must sound real strange to him," Tonks added. 

"Are you all right with this, Tonks?" Sirius asked. 

"Of course. Okay, so I thought you were straight, and I was already planning to hook you up with some of my friends. There goes my career as a matchmaker, but I think I'll survive. I hadn't resigned as an Auror just yet." 

Sirius laughed. "Isn't that lucky for you, then? You can still protect the wizarding world." 

"I shan't protect anyone if I don't get my arse home. Mum will kill me if I'm late." Tonks neared them and closed her arms around both men. "You enjoy yourselves tonight, but remember that you owe me. I'll have to put up with my parents and Draco's all by myself." 

"Sheer torture, to be sure," Draco put in. "I'll get you anything you want for being such a brave witch." 

"You'll regret saying that," Tonks said, mischievously. "You're coming shopping to Muggle London with me." 

"May I simply hand you my Gringotts key?" Draco smiled at his cousin. "All right, Muggle London it is, and we can take Sirius with us." He looked at Sirius with the corner of his eyes. 

Sirius shifted and wrapped a hand around Draco's waist. "I'd love that. It shall be even better if I'm cleared when we go, but it shan't be tonight." 

"No, not tonight. Tonight, I get stuck with parents, and you...I don't want to know what you'll do. Bye." 

Sirius and Draco waved as the witch left the room, and with her departure, every noise that had seemed to inundate the room disappeared as well. "So..." 

"So," repeated Draco. He stared at the wall, refusing to look at Sirius. This had been much easier when there were people around, when he hadn't had to think about their relationship. "I know my parents assumed... but I needn't to stay... I mean if you don't want me here..." 

"Why wouldn't I want you?" Sirius asked. He didn't have to fake his curiosity. At times, Draco's thought process really confused him. 

"You were incorporeal. You were stuck with me, with us, and now..." Draco trailed off. 

Sirius turned until he was facing Draco. Raising the blond's chin, he locked gaze with Draco. "I wasn't stuck. Yes, at the beginning we didn't know about the consequences, but that hasn't been the case for months. Nothing forced me to stay at your house, to stay with you, and nothing forced me to touch you, caress you, and kiss you." 

A smile appeared on Draco's face "You're saying that you want me to stay, aren't you?" . 

"I'm saying that I feel so alive, each of my senses feels augmented, and I can't wait to see just how much better being with you is now that I'm human again." Slowly, Sirius leaned toward Draco until their lips touched. Small contact, chaste as their closed lips brushed against each other, their contact increasing as Sirius spoke. "I want you to stay here tonight, and as many nights as you want. My invitation is still open." 

"That's good, but if you changed your mind, I'd understand. You ought to have a chance to explore, have fun." 

"I don't want to explore. True, I haven't had the most active sex life, but I'm also almost forty, and my life hasn't been easy. I don't want to play games, and I like what we have. I'd like to see where it goes, unless you want me to make you an honest man before having sex..." Sirius joked. 

Draco laughed. "No, I can tell you that it's not an issue." He captured Sirius's bottom lip between his teeth and tugged gently. "As much as I am enjoying this, you were talking about a shower?" 

"Join me?" 

Draco shook his head. "Some other time. I reckon we'll have plenty of opportunities. You, go; I have some things to arrange, including dinner." 

"You're planning something," Sirius affirmed. 

"I'm a Slytherin; I'm always planning something. Now, go."

* * *

When Sirius finished his shower, he went to Regulus's old bedroom (for some reason, Kreacher had insisted that he showered and got dressed downstairs, and Sirius was willing to bet that it had something to do with Draco). He had hoped to find Draco, but the room was empty. On the bed, he saw a dress robe. It was royal blue, made of velvet. On top of the robe, there was a note. Sirius opened the parchment, and saw Narcissa's elegant handwriting. 

_Sirius,_

_I hope it fits. If not, Kreacher is more than capable of modifying it for you, not the best solution, but it will do for tonight. I will send more in the morning to replace those dreadful jeans you favoured so much in school. You are an adult, and the last person to carry the Black name. You will uphold our name, if it kills me._

_Lucius is reading over my shoulder, and thinks that I should leave you alone. One would think that he hasn't been married to me for the longest._

Sirius smiled. He could imagine his cousin writing with Lucius standing behind her. After all, since they announced the pregnancy, Lucius was rarely away from his wife. Oh, he complained quite often about how bossy she had become in only a few weeks, but then proceeded to do everything she wanted. 

_He's also sending a spare wand (don't ask how he obtained it, because I don't know), but he assures me that it can't be traced._

Sirius took the wand that was resting on the bed, and ran his hand over it. He could feel the magic travelling through the wood. He cast a simple spell, and grinned. Magic was such a huge part of who he was that it was a relief to have it back. The wand itself wasn't as good as his Ollivander's wand, but much better than the one that Dumbledore had provided him after his escape. 

_I do love you, and I am immensely happy that we finally have had an opportunity to put the past behind us. However, I should warn you. You hurt my baby boy, and you will be dead._

_Love,_

_Narcissa_

Sirius smiled when he finished the note. So very much like his cousin, and yet he had no doubt that she would be a formidable opponent if anyone were to hurt Draco. He had no plans to put his theory to the test, because he wasn't planning on hurting Draco. 

He put the letter aside, and put the robe on. Sirius stood in front of the mirror, looking at his reflection. His hair, still damp, curled to his shoulders. His dark locks were the perfect frame for his blue eyes. Narcissa had impeccable taste, and an even better eye. The robe fit perfectly, flattering a body that was not as toned as the body of a very athletic teenager. He ran his hands over the robe, smoothing non-existent wrinkles. 

He looked better than he had in years, and yet suddenly, he was nervous. Draco had been uncertain only minutes before, but Sirius couldn't understand the reason. Draco was gorgeous, intelligent, and well mannered. Sirius reckoned that there were plenty of people who'd do anything to be with him. Instead, Draco had chosen to spend most of his time with Sirius, and Sirius couldn't understand why. 

He was nothing like he used to be. His joie de vivre had been replaced by mood swings and depression. His natural buoyancy had transformed into recklessness bordering insanity (although he admitted that after his stay in the Land-In-Between, a dampener had been placed on his emotions). And his looks...Well, he wasn't bad looking. Even twelve years in Azkaban couldn't erase his natural beauty, even if they had temporarily concealed it. Still, he wasn't eighteen anymore. 

Sirius shook his head. It was all utter nonsense. He looked just the same an hour ago when he was still incorporeal. He looked the same as the night before, when Draco had held him tight, kissing him passionately. He looked exactly like he did when he held Draco against his body, feeling the tremors of their orgasms rock through their bodies. Draco knew what he looked like, and he had made a decision, the decision to stay with him. 

It was time to find his Gryffindor courage and face Draco. Of course, there was the little problem of finding him first. He didn't have to wander around. The moment he opened the door, he found a little cloud floating in front of him. It was the size of a rugby ball, its edges not so clearly defined. The colour was milk white, as the clouds in the summer sky. 

As soon as he stepped out of the room, the cloud floated away toward the stairs. Sirius followed it, with trepidation. They went up the stairs, and to the third floor. The cloud stopped in front of his old bedroom, and when he reached it, the door swung open, and Sirius stared with his mouth open. 

"Do you like it?" Draco asked. 

"Oh God, yes, it's beautiful." Sirius took a step forward, and looked at the room. His old furniture was gone, leaving the room empty. However, he couldn't see the floor and walls. The floor had been replaced by clouds. There was no other way to describe the nebulous substance that covered everything. The walls and ceiling were a dark blue, with stars adorning the nightly sky. Draco was sitting in the middle of the room; it looked like he was sitting on a cloud. 

"Take your shoes and socks off. Go on, do try walking on it," Draco said with a grin. 

"This is amazing." Sirius took another look around, before doing what he was told. 

"You did say that the slide reminded you of clouds. Now, you don't need to escape to have them. You can have them right in your own home." Draco nodded to the side. "There is food if you are hungry." 

"I'm hungry all right, although food isn't what I had in mind." Sirius began to walk, and then stopped. He looked at Draco with eyes wide open. "This feels..." 

"Amazing, doesn't it? It really feels like walking on clouds." 

Sirius walked to the middle of the room, still absorbing the sensation of walking on clouds. He sat in front of Draco, their knees touching, as Sirius continued to look around. "How did you come up with this?" He asked surprised. "You had very little time to prepare this." 

"I'm very resourceful," Draco answered. 

"Good god, don't tell me you asked your parents?" Sirius asked horrified. 

Draco chuckled. "No, I didn't. Where have you seen the most beautiful enchanted ceiling?" 

Sirius didn't have to think about the answer. "Hogwarts." 

Draco nodded. "And who is responsible for the enchantment?" 

Again, there was no hesitation. "Dumbledore." 

Draco nodded again. "The man can be quite useful. Of course, his help didn't come for free, but it was worth it. Look up there" he said, pointing at the enchanted sky. "You'd probably see it better lying down." 

"That's the strangest invitation I've ever heard." Sirius grinned, but lay down as Draco had asked. The clouds were fluffy and comfortable under his body, and yet firm and reassuring. 

Draco laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to be subtle, but look at what's in our sky." He lay down, using Sirius's shoulder as a pillow. "Right there, can you see it?" 

"It's a star," Sirius answered. 

"It's not just a star. It's the brightest star, brighter than the sun, the blue one, part of Canis Major; it's Sirius, named after the god of the dead. The Egyptians believed that on Sirius lived bluebloods, royalty." Draco turned his head to look at Sirius. "Does it sound familiar?" 

"I'm not..." 

"They are old myths, I know." Draco pointed at a group of stars, to the right. "The Draco constellation, named after a man-eating snake, with Thuban as its brightest star. It was once the Pole star. Two terrible, but revered gods, and the Egyptians planned their pyramids according to these stars. Two constellations that united served to give them directions." 

Sirius couldn't understand where this was going. "Did you pick these constellations for a reason?" 

"I didn't pick them at all. Dumbledore did. He told me about the legends. He said that names are powerful, and no matter how much we profess free will, there are times when our destinies are written in the... in the stars." Draco rolled to his side, his hand resting on Sirius's chest. "I've always known that he is mad, but I like the idea of destiny." 

Sirius shook his head. "No, I don't believe it. They told me that the veil was there for me, that I would be the only one to pass through it. They knew because for them there is no time, and yet, they didn't know the outcome. They can't know or the Land-In-Between would have no purpose. I had the chance to shape my future, and what we forged in the meantime has nothing to do with the stars." 

"So why are we together? I mean everyone has been so accepting, almost disturbingly so, but no one has raised the most obvious objection. We have nothing in common. We were total strangers until a few months ago." 

"Does the past matter?" Sirius rolled to his side, until he was mimicking Draco's position. "The fact that I was a Gryffindor and you were a Slytherin, or on which side we stood, does it really matter now? What I know is that since I returned from the Land-InBetween, you've been always there for me. You've made me feel alive, good about myself. You never had any doubt that I could do certain things, even if you hated how I achieved them, and I hope that I gave you something back." 

"You have, Sirius. I've been happy. It seems such a simple word, but I don't think I've been truly happy as an adult, and this..." Draco's hand swept around the room. "This is because I want you to be happy." 

"I am, and the fact that you remembered a little comment I made weeks ago, and understood the meaning behind it tells me that we should be together because we understand each other, not because of the stars." 

"Sirius..." Draco's fingers lingered over Sirius's lips. 

"Yes..." Sirius breathed out. He could see the desire clear in Draco's blue eyes, but he didn't push, and contented himself with waiting. 

"I've wanted you so much...it doesn't even seem real that we're here...I've pictured this moment so many times in my head, and it was perfect. It's almost a shame to ruin such perfection." Draco moved closer until he could feel Sirius's breath against his face. He closed his eyes, closing the gap until their lips were meeting again and again, the slow rhythm building as they searched for more. Their hands soon joined in, touching and teasing, but being frustrated by layers of clothes. 

Sirius bit a trail from Draco's chin to his earlobe, tracing Draco's shell with his tongue, nibbling on the lobe. "Do we confine this to dreams?" he asked. 

"Fuck, no. You need to get your clothes off," Draco moaned out. 

"Why don't you?" Sirius challenged, but his smile undermined his tough stance. 

"I just might." Draco pushed Sirius, until he was lying on his back again. The blond straddled his lover's hips, and then started to unbutton the robe. He chuckled as he saw the stiff collar. "I thought you didn't like stuffy robes. You really shouldn't let Mother dress you." He ignored the glare from Sirius, as he continued his task. 

"You really shouldn't mention your mother while you get me undressed," Sirius answered back. 

"Is this what I should be doing?" Draco licked his way down Sirius's throat, drawing circles with his tongue when he reached the hollow at the base, applying just enough pressure to feel Sirius swallow hard. 

"Or maybe, I should be trying this." Draco revealed more skin, pushing the lapels of the robe open. He found a nipple, and flickered his tongue over it, teasing it to attention before trapping it between his teeth. 

"Much, much better," Sirius moaned, as Draco continued his assault. There was so much more that he wished to say, but he was unable to. His brain was attacked by too many emotions to think. He hadn't been touched like this since he was as young as Draco, and the result was overwhelming. Each touch reminded how much he had missed, and how lucky he was to have found it again. Thoughts and emotions increased in intensity, until they were gripping him inside, causing panic to rise. 

Draco stopped as soon as he became aware of the change in his lover. "Hey, are you okay?" 

"Yes... a case of too much a little too late," Sirius tried to joke. 

"Maybe, we should stop. We can have supper...We do whatever feels right, Sirius." 

Sirius rolled them over, until he was covering Draco's body with his, his hands pinning Draco's wrists until they were disappearing into the clouds. "I don't want to stop, Draco, but I need...I don't know, lying there, your body pressing on me, I felt... claustrophobic." The corner of his lips curled in a self-deprecatory manner. "I guess some things stay with you longer than I thought." 

Draco looked at his wrists, then up at Sirius. "Is this better?" 

Sirius released his lover immediately. "I'm sorry, I don't know why..." 

"Don't apologise, please." Draco brushed Sirius's hair with his fingers. "Do you know what I think? I think we're both expecting too much, trying to do everything perfectly, and getting upset when they aren't. We've been acting like this since you woke up human. It's not the first time we've had sex. True, there were clothes involved, but we still made love, and this won't be the last time, either." 

Sirius took a deep breath. "Okay, so we forget perfect, and go for just right." 

"That sounds really good," Draco answered. 

"Then, I need to see you naked, and now. No more teasing, I can't bare it. It's too much." Sirius took his wand and cast a spell, the words rolling on his tongue like a fine dessert, feeling the power being channelled through the wand, until they were lying naked, one of top of the other. 

Draco spread his legs, his ankle sliding up and down Sirius's calf, while he rocked his hips, pressing his erection against Sirius's. "We go as slow or as fast as you need, Sirius." 

Sirius framed Draco's face, staring intently at his lover. "What if I want to fuck you?" 

"Then, I suggest you get on with it," Draco answered seductively. 

"Then, I suggest you tell me where the lube is," Sirius asked in between kisses. 

"You remember that you are a wizard and you have a wand, right?" 

Sirius raised his head, and looked at Draco amused. "Will we have a discussion every time we have sex?" 

"Quite possibly." Draco propped himself on his elbow, and kissed Sirius gently. "It's not perfect, but it has worked until now." He reached for Sirius's wand and handed it to his lover. "Don't make me wait anymore. I want to feel you inside me." 

Sirius's fingers closed around the wand, and he cast the spell, his eyes never wavering from Draco's face, watching for any sign that might indicate that Draco had any second thoughts, but the hard shaft pressing against his hip helped dismiss his concerns. 

Before he could move, Draco pulled him down, and their mouths met again, their tongues chasing each other, playing a game of hid and seek. He felt Draco's hand reach between their bodies and closing around their cocks, sliding up and down over their hard pricks in a loose grip. 

"You're still thinking too much," Draco whispered in Sirius's ear, before biting on it. 

"I've never been accused of that." However, he knew that Draco was right. His mind was still too engaged, afraid to let his emotions overwhelm him again, but he needed to find the courage to let go. He put a hand on Draco's wrist, stilling his gentle fisting. Then, he shifted until his shaft was pressing against Draco's hole. 

Draco looked straight at him, and nodded his assent. Sirius could feel Draco's emotions down to his soul. He found Draco's hand, and their fingers interlocked, while he pushed inside, feeling that warm hold suck him in. 

There were no words to express how good it felt, how intense the sensations were. Sirius didn't even try. Instead, he kept his eyes on Draco, and his hand securely connected with Draco's, while he moved slowly, pulling almost all the way out, before sliding back in. Each thrust built their desire for each other, but Sirius refused to speed this up, wanting this to last as much as he could. 

Their joined hands wrapped around Draco's cock, moving just as slow as Sirius. As need coiled inside Draco, he began to rock, pushing his cock into their fists, and back pushing against Sirius's prick, clenching around it, coaxing Sirius to give him what he sought. "God, would you speed up? You're driving me mad." 

Sirius grinned. "If you ask nicely." His heavy breathing was but a sign of how much he was affected and how close he was, but it was fun to tease Draco. 

"You're a right bastard, you are." Draco's chuckle turned into a long moan when Sirius tightened the grip around his cock, putting just enough pressure. "Oh God, yes..." 

"Not...quite...so... powerful..." Sirius grunted with each thrust, brushing against that tiny gland that would give Draco even more pleasure, making Draco clench around him in an endless circle of physical bliss. 

Sirius gave up any resemblance of control. His movements became more erratic. He could see the warning signs in Draco; he had learned to recognise them: the way Draco opened his lips just so, how the muscles in his thighs would tense, how he would tilt his head back, closing his eyes. 

He saw as much as he felt the moment that Draco reached his orgasm, hot spurts of come staining his hand, muscles squeezing him tight, pushing him toward that bittersweet end, leaving him on the edge between continued pleasure and sheer ecstasy, until that one last thrust that brought him over the precipice, making him come violently, wave after wave of pleasure wrecking through him as Draco held him in a tight embrace. 

After a moment, when he could finally breathe again, Sirius tried to roll off, but Draco held him close. "I'm fine." 

Sirius propped himself on his elbow, relieving some of his weight from Draco's slender form. He stared at his lover, eyes still dazed, hair sweaty all around his face, lips red and swollen. "God, you look sinful." 

"I feel sinful," Draco said with a smirk. "This was...just right." 

"Then, we have to keep trying until we get to perfect," Sirius said with a grin. 

Draco shook his head. "We ought to aim for almost perfect; this way we always have an excuse to try gain. If we reach perfection, then we have no reason to attempt it again." 

"You prove once more why you are a Slytherin," Sirius said with a stern expression, but then he cracked a smile. "I think I'm hungry now." 

"I thought we satisfied your hunger," Draco deadpanned. He smacked Sirius's arse. "Now you can move, and we can see what Mother sent us." 

Sirius groaned. "Do you have to keep mentioning your mother?" However, he rolled off, and after a quick cleansing spell, they began to explore the contents of the basket Narcissa had sent.

* * *

"Oh, would you hurry up with those buttons! They will be here awfully soon." Draco crossed the bedroom, and fixed Sirius's robe. 

Sirius raised his head up so that Draco could fasten the buttons of his collar. "Tell me again why we're doing this?" 

"Because we wanted to spend Christmas Eve with our family?" Draco suggested. Of course, it was much more than family. Not only were his parents invited, but so was Andromeda and her family, Potter and his girlfriend, Remus and Severus, the Goyles and the Crabbes, plus all the Weasleys with their significant others. Draco was thankful for the house-elves that his mother had sent to help. 

"Snape is not family." Leave it to Sirius to concentrate on Severus. 

"Neither is Potter, but you don't hear me bitching... All right, all done." Draco smoothed his hands over the front of Sirius's robe. "You look great." 

"Thanks, and you can't compare Harry to Snape. You don't truly despise, Harry." 

"And you don't truly despise Severus... all right, you do, but he is a good friend, and Remus's lover." Draco kissed Sirius's cheek. "It won't be so bad. You two don't want to kill each other anymore; that's an improvement." 

"Normally, I'd agree, but when Snape and your father are together, there is no stopping them." Sirius grabbed Draco's hips and pulled him closer. "You look amazing." 

"I know," Draco said teasingly, but then grew serious. "Do you truly hate the idea of having them here? I would have thought... it's your first Christmas as a free man in a long time..." 

"Have I thanked you for that yet?" Sirius asked while his lips made their way down Draco's neck. 

Draco chuckled. "A few...hundred times, and that's an excuse to have sex. You know I had nothing to do with it. It was all Potter's doing. Scared Fudge silly, he did. Freed with no trial and public apologies in only one day. Nothing happens that fast at the Ministry." 

"Oh well, I've thanked Harry already, but I like thanking you as well." Sirius's hands slid down Draco's back, cupping his lover's arse. "I enjoy it very much." 

Draco smacked Sirius's arm. "So do I, but not now. We have things to do." 

Sirius sighed. "Why do you have to be so mature?" 

"One of us has to be," Draco deadpanned. 

Sirius cupped Draco's face, and rested his forehead against Draco's. "You needn't be, really. Your youth is precious, and I get pleasure from watching you enjoy it. I'm also grateful about tonight. I love having people in our home, and I love even more that you went to all this trouble." 

"It was no trouble...Our home, I like that," Draco murmured. 

Sirius caressed Draco's face, emotions pouring into such a simple act. "Good, because that's what this house is. It's you and me for as long as humanly possible." 

"Considering your history, as long as inhumanly possible," Draco answered with a smile. 

"Must you always have the last word?" Sirius asked. 

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Of course. You'd worry if I didn't." 

"You're a spoiled brat. I should send you back to your parents," Sirius joked. 

"I thought for as long as humanly possible. You're even fickler than Father thought-" 

"Shut up," Sirius murmured before pushing Draco against the wall, and his lips descended on Draco's. "You're a spoiled brat, and you're mine. Is that good enough?" 

Draco nodded. "Much better." Grinning, he walked downstairs. 'Mine' was a good start, now they could work toward forever. 

In the Land-In-Between, the three Beings watched as present melted into future. "Why are we wasting time? We know how it ends," the Being in red commented. 

"Ah, but it's how they get there that is interesting," the Being in blue answered. 

The Being in yellow looked at the other two. "They will fight, they will cry, they will laugh, and they will rejoice. They will live like every human, and together they will accomplish what they should." 

The Being in red rolled his eyes. "How smug of you! Just because you guessed how long it would take them to say 'I love you' doesn't make you more knowledgeable than us." 

"In that case, would you like to guess how long before they adopt?" the Being in yellow asked. 

"How do you kn- Never mind, I'll keep watching."


End file.
